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RNZ News
14 minutes ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Unflappable Scheffler closes on Open glory, McIlroy still in mix
World golf number one Scottie Scheffler. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Scottie Scheffler kept a cool hand on the tiller to stay on course for his first Open Championship title with a serene 67 on a spectacular day of shot-making in the third round. Birdies and eagles rained down on a sun-kissed Royal Portrush links with home favourite Rory McIlroy, England's Tyrrell Hatton and defending champion Xander Schauffele all tucking into the scoring feast. Thunderous roars wafted across the County Antrim coast, the loudest for some McIlroy magic, but world number one Scheffler was laser-focused to move to 14 under par and a four-stroke lead heading to the final day. Barring a sudden loss of form by the three-times major champion, the last round looks like being a scrap for the minor places, although Scheffler is not out of sight. "I had another good day today," Scheffler said. "I was pretty patient and felt like I was hitting it really nice. "Sometimes in major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few." Li Haotong maintained his challenge, a 69 taking him to 10 under par, and he will be the first Chinese man to be in the final group at a major. England's Matt Fitzpatrick finished a further shot back after a disappointing 71. McIlroy's five-under 66 kept alive the Northern Irishman's hopes of lifting the Claret Jug on home soil, 11 years after his previous British Open title. He is in a group on eight under with Americans Chris Gotterup and Harris English, and Hatton. "I've got a chance. I need to get off to a great start like I did today, and if I can do that, anything can happen," McIlroy said. The 36-year-old began on three under par, seven adrift, after two up-and-down rounds. He quickly fired up his army of fans, however, as he birdied three of his first four holes. He was close to an eagle at the par-five second, and made up his third stroke of the day at the fourth after a superb approach left him with a seven-foot putt. McIlroy bogeyed the 11th after a bizarre incident when his second shot from the rough unearthed a previously buried ball. That was soon forgotten, though, as a snaking 56-foot putt dropped for eagle at the 12th, prompting scenes of jubilation in the crowd. After two days of unpredictable conditions, the weather gods obliged with near-perfect weather for round three, which had a total of 47 players breaking par. - Reuters
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fire service tackling blaze at former Foyle College site
Firefighters are tackling a blaze at the old Foyle College building in Londonderry. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it received the first reports of a fire at 19:31 BST on Saturday. Five NIFRS appliances were sent to the scene, including one aerial unit. Nearby residents have been advised to keep their windows closed and to bring pets indoors because of the smoke. In a social media post, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said Duncreggan Road has been closed to traffic while the emergency services deal with the fire.
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Foyle College: Fire service tackle blaze at former site
Firefighters are tackling a blaze at the old Foyle College building in Londonderry. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it received the first reports of a fire at 19:31 BST on NIFRS appliances were sent to the scene, including one aerial residents have been advised to keep their windows closed and to bring pets indoors because of the smoke. In a social media post, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said Duncreggan Road has been closed to traffic while the emergency services deal with the fire.
CBC
44 minutes ago
- Sport
- CBC
Scottie Scheffler on verge of 4th major title at British Open with 4-shot lead
The question Scottie Scheffler was asking of himself at the start of the week could very well be posed to those chasing him in the British Open. What's the point? Scheffler delivered another example Saturday at Royal Portrush why he has dominated golf the last three years. He was the only player in the last eight groups not to make a bogey on his way to a 4-under 67 that allowed him to open a four-shot lead as he goes for the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Scheffler has won the last 10 times he has led after 54 holes. It's never easy, no matter how he makes it look. But on this gorgeous day he was in full command of his game, and now is in prime position to win his second major of the year. He was helped by a 6-iron to 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh, and saved by three big par saves, two on the back nine, to keep everyone at a distance. "Talking of execution, he's probably the best in the business right now," Rory McIlroy said after a 5-under 66 that brought him to only within six shots of Scheffler. Scheffler had the golf world buzzing earlier this week when he said celebrations don't last but a few minutes. He loves the competition. He loves the work. But in terms of fulfilment, he often questions why he wants to win so badly when the thrill of winning is fleeting. Ahead of him is competition, and still plenty of work. He was at 14-under 199, four shots ahead of Li Haotong of China, who delivered his own mystery by saying he had no idea how he recovered from the full swing yips a few years ago to be in the final group of a major for the first time. Another shot back was Matt Fitzpatrick, who was tied with Scheffler through six holes and couldn't stay with him when the No. 1 player began to pull away. Fitzpatrick missed a pair of short par putts and had to settle for a 71. The biggest roars belonged to McIlroy, so much that it felt as though all of Northern Ireland was behind him. There wasn't an inch of grass or gorse to be seen beyond the wall of people lining the fairways. There were 30-yard gaps along the ropes for Scheffler. McIlroy opened with three birdies in four holes. The roar that shook Royal Portrush came on the par-5 12th when McIlroy holed a 55-foot eagle putt that gave him a spark and the gallery hope — even though he still was six behind. He produced only one more birdie the rest of the way and still faced a big climb. "I played well enough today to at least feel like I have a chance tomorrow," McIlroy said. "Yeah, it's going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does. But if I can get out tomorrow and get off to a similar start to what I did today, get the crowd going ... you never know. But I just need to go out and play another really good round of golf tomorrow and see what happens." Conners climbs leaderboard After just making the cut on the number, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 5-under 66 on Saturday to motor up the leaderboard. The lone Canadian to make the cut was tied for 22nd at 10 shots off the lead. But this championship is now in the hands of Scheffler, who has been No. 1 in the world longer than anyone since Tiger Woods. And there was nothing Saturday to indicate he was going to make it easy on anyone chasing him. "I'm just trying to execute, not overthinking things," Scheffler said. "I feel like I've been doing the right thing so far, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow." After his first three-putt of the tournament — making par after reaching the par-5 second hole in two shots — Scheffler made a 10-foot par putt that was as big as any. In deep trouble behind the 11th green, he hacked out to 10 feet to save par, then saved another par from the deep grass left of the 14th fairway. Royal Portrush has a nasty par 3 at No. 16 known as "Calamity Corner." Scheffler made birdie for the third straight day, this time a 3-iron that settled 15 feet below the cup. Each shot helped him pull away from the field. Each shot moved him closer to the claret jug, to go along with the PGA Championship he won in May and the two Masters green jackets he has won in two in the last four years. Buried ball baffles McIlroy McIlroy, who revved up the enormous crowd early, had the most bizarre moment of the championship when he went to gouge out a shot from the rough right of the 11th fairway and a second ball emerged from the turf. "It's never happened to me before," McIlroy said. "It could never on any other course but a links course." It led to his lone bogey. He responded with that eagle putt and probably needed more. "Scottie is ... it's inevitable," McIlroy said. "Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's become a complete player." This is what McIlroy noticed last year, when Scheffler won nine times around the world. What impressed him was that Scheffler played so many bogey-free rounds. Scheffler picked a great time for another one. "I think the card could look stress-free, but I had two really nice par saves on the back nine that were key .. two really important putts," he said. "I think any time you can keep a clean card around a major championship, you're going to be having a pretty good day." Fitzpatrick did his best to keep pace, but he missed a 4-foot par putt on the 13th, got a bad bounce on the 17th that led to another bogey and wound up five shots behind. "Just didn't make any putts. I didn't hit it close enough," Fitzpatrick said. "Drove it well enough, didn't hit it close enough. Just made way less putts than Scottie." Scheffler will be paired in the last group with Li, who made history in 2020 at the PGA Championship when he held the 36-hole lead, becoming the first player from China to lead in a major. Li didn't make his first bogey until the 13th hole, and he dropped another shot on the 18th by driving into a pot bunker. Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, in his first appearance in the British Open, had a 68 and joined the group at 8-under 205 that included McIlroy, Harris English (68) and Tyrrell Hatton (68). This is Scheffler's largest 54-hole lead in a major — he was up by three shots at the PGA Championship and three shots in the 2022 Masters.
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Can Scottie Scheffler lose this Open Championship?
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Just past 6 p.m. on Saturday, after Scottie Scheffler's approach into Royal Portrush's 11th hole disappeared in the wavy, wispy native area left of the green, a few mighty souls saw an opportunity. Maybe some hope. A glitch in Scheffler's simulation. Breaking decorum, they cheered the shot's demise. Advertisement Then Scheffler arrived, devoid of empathy. A hack out of the straw. A 10-foot par putt. A little half-wave for the applause that followed. The 153rd Open Championship, again, felt like it was over, no matter how many holes were left to play. Hell, it felt like it was over the prior afternoon, when Scheffler delivered a masterclass second-round 64 to take a one-shot lead at 10 under midway through the tournament. It's all been too easy. The three-time major winner is, in his present form, so good, and so dialed, that it is impossible — or impractical — to imagine anything going awry. Now, coming to Sunday, no one this side of Killarney is expecting anything other than a runaway victory. Scheffler's first claim to Champion Golfer of the Year. His third leg of the career Grand Slam. His latest coup de grâce. Scheffler followed Friday's show with a bogey-free third-round 67 and, even on a bizarrely idyllic day — nary a threat of rain — drew blackout curtains on this tournament. All that's left is the Claret Jug, a chisel, and space for 17 letters. Some trivia. How many alliterative names appear on the jug? Three are easy. Ernie Els, David Duval, Sam Snead. Major kudos if you nailed the fourth — Harold Hilton, the 1892 and 1897 winner. This is what the tournament has devolved into. Notes for the appendix. Scheffler has been so unrepentant in his dominance that all involved are resigned to the inevitable. 'Four shots behind, kind of like playing for second,' said Haotong Li, who's paired with Scheffler in Sunday's final round. You've got to respect the candor. And the acceptance of reality. Biding his time. After six pars, Scottie has an eagle in round three. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025 Scheffler has successfully converted each of his last nine outright 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour. He is 3-for-3 when converting 54-hole leads in majors. Is any other outcome plausible? Not really. Matt Fitzpatrick was paired with Scheffler on Saturday and opened the day trailing by a stroke. He shot even par and now trails by five. When Golf Channel's Todd Lewis asked the 2022 U.S. Open champion what he's expecting from Scheffler in the fourth round, Fitzpatrick took a breath, shook his head and resorted to wishful thinking. Advertisement 'Well, hopefully a blowup,' Fitzpatrick said. Rory McIlroy, hero of Portrush and the week's protagonist, began Saturday trailing by seven shots and knowing he needed to deliver a day to remember. He did the job — shooting a third-round 66, matching the second-best round of the day behind Russell Henley's 65. And what did McIlroy get for his efforts? He gained one stroke on Scheffler. He now sits tied for fourth with Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English and Chris Gotterup, six shots behind Scheffler. 'I don't think it's a surprise,' McIlroy said. 'Everyone's seen the way he's played over the last two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes.' This was, of course, coming from the same McIlroy who blew multiple tires on his way to a Masters victory a few months ago. 'There doesn't seem to be any weakness there,' McIlroy said. 'Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do.' That dynamic? It's turned this week into a stress test for everyone else. Every mistake is magnified by the realization that one player on the course won't do the same. McIlroy opened Saturday 3 under through four holes, whipping up a frenzy and making his legion of supporters want to believe. But holes Nos. 5 and 7, two great birdie opportunities, came and went without him capitalizing. It was clear, right then and there, that he'd likely not do enough to rattle any cages on this day. To make a real move, against this version of Scheffler, at least, McIlroy needed to do something otherworldly — a 61, 62. There are no margins. Hatton knows. Coming off the best major finish of his career at Oakmont a few weeks ago, he arrived at Portrush looking to win. The 33-year-old has played well, firing rounds of 68-69-68, but every minor miscue has been punished. In Friday's second round, he followed his best drive of the day by missing the green with a lob wedge and settling for par. As long as Scheffler's on the course, that might as well be a bogey. Advertisement How's Hatton feeling? 'Six shots behind,' he shrugged Saturday, 'A long way back.' It's not only that Scheffler is winning, it's that he refuses to offer anyone else any hope. He avoids all the traps, finds greens in regulation, and hits the ball closer than everyone else. Through three rounds, he leads the field in both strokes gained approaching the green (+2.69) and strokes gained putting (+2.58). That's good living. 'He's just in his own world and nothing's going to bother him,' said Xander Schauffele, the 2024 Open champion, currently sitting in eighth place with a seven-shot deficit. 'He gets to that place often.' And he's there again. The largest leads lost in Open Championship history came via Macdonald Smith in 1925 and Jean Van de Velde in 1999. Each entered Sunday leading by five strokes. Smith shot a final-round 82. Van de Velde shot a 77. So what, we wonder, is reasonably the highest score Scheffler could shoot Sunday? Even par? Maybe 72? A shocking 73? Even then, someone would still need to come get him. It all feels so far-fetched. This is, we dare say, over. S-C-O-T-T-I-E S-C-H-E-F-F-L-E-R
