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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Choose the winner of the 153rd Open
Scottie Scheffler has a four-shot lead going into the final round at The Open, but who do you think is going to win?
Daily Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Fans befuddled by ‘absolutely insane' Rory McIlroy moment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Golf. Followed categories will be added to My News. Scottie Scheffler has one hand on the Claret Jug as the world No.1 jumped out to a four-shot lead with a bogey free four-under par third round of 67 in the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Scheffler sits at -14 for the tournament, and his sizeable lead will have dampened the spirits of his rivals as every time he has led a major after 54 holes, the 29-year-old has won. The three-time major champion started the day with a one-shot lead but stretched that margin with an eagle at the par 5 seventh, a birdie at par 4 eighth and a birdie at 'Calamity Corner', the par 3 16th. Watch every round of The Open Live & Exclusive on Fox Sports, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now & get your first month for just $1. 'I think anytime you can keep a clean card around a major championship, you're going to be having a pretty good day,' Scheffler said. 'I think the card could look stress-free, but I had two really nice par saves on the back nine that were key. 'I made a nice eight footer on 11, another one on 14, so two really important putts.' The American looked simply irresistible as he continued he stellar form, boasting three wins, including his PGA Championship victory and a finish no worse than tied eighth in his last ten starts. He is now just 18 holes away from becoming the second top ranked player in the world after Tiger Woods to win on the British links, and in doing so, only a US Open triumph will remain in his bid for the career grand slam. 'I like being out here competing. This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I'm excited for the challenge of tomorrow,' Scheffler said. 'Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position. 'Going into tomorrow I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. 'There's not really too much else going on.' Scheffler will be paired with China's Haotong Li (-10) in the final group after he shot a two-under par round of 69, while third round playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick remained at -9 with an even par 71. US golfer Scottie Scheffler walks to the 18th tee on day three of the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush golf club in Northern Ireland on July 19, 2025. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE Local hope Rory McIlroy (-8) headlines a group of four players that are sharing fourth place, which also includes Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, Harris English and Tyrell Hatton. McIlroy delighted the crowd with a five-under 66 but will need some unlikely help from Scheffler on Sunday to win a second Open Championship after his triumph in 2014. Fitzpatrick drew level with Scheffler early in the round by chipping in for an eagle on the par-five second, as the leader three-putted for par. But Scheffler cruised back in front with an eagle on the seventh hole, backed up by a birdie on the eighth. He stayed bogey-free courtesy of a gusty par save after finding thick rough to the left of the 11th green, before getting up and down again on 14. The 29-year-old dealt another blow to the chasing pack with a birdie on the difficult 16th before closing out his round with two solid pars. Li, hoping to become the first Chinese man to win a major title, hung in to reach the turn at nine-under overall, four shots adrift. He emerged as Scheffler's closest challenger while others slipped back, making three birdies on the second nine before a closing bogey. Fitzpatrick was only two behind Scheffler at the halfway point of the third round as he tried to boost his bid to become the first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1992. But three bogeys on the way in left him with a mountain to climb. - McIlroy keeps slim hopes alive - Home favourite McIlroy, starting the day seven strokes off the pace, quickly made his move with three birdies in his first four holes. A huge roar greeted a curling, 36-foot birdie putt on the first green, before the Northern Irishman tapped in for another birdie on the second. A towering iron shot into the fourth continued the momentum, dragging the Masters champion to within four shots of Scheffler before the leader had even teed off. His putter went cold for the rest of the front nine, before a bogey on the 11th, when an old ball jumped out of the ground as he hit his approach shot, threatened to derail his round. But the 36-year-old responded in style by tickling home a downhill, 56-foot eagle putt on the 12th, bringing deafening cheers from the thousands of fans around the green. One more birdie at the 15th, after a wonderful shot from the rough, gave the crowd extra belief before Scheffler's strong finish. 'Scottie Scheffler is inevitable, even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's the complete player,' McIlroy told Sky Sports. 'But if I can get out tomorrow, get off to a similar start to today, get the crowd going, hopefully he feels that a couple of groups behind me.' Other movers on Saturday included reigning champion Xander Schauffele, who made two eagles in a 66 to reach seven-under for the tournament. Lee Westwood tied the British Open record for the lowest back nine with a 29, recovering from being four-over on the outward half. Marc Leishman, the lone Australian to make the cut, shot a second straight three-under par round of 68 to sit at -4 overall, tied 26th. Leishman made five birdies for the day and the LIV Golf star has his sights set on a top ten finish in order to book his place at Royal Birkdale next year. PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 19: Marc Leishman of Australia looks on during Day Three of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 19, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by) 'Obviously there's the carrot dangling to try to get into the top 4 but also to try to get in the Open next year,' Leishman said. 'Yes, you want to do something silly and try to go crazy low, but you also want to make sure you try to get back in next year and give yourself a chance to get into the other majors. 'Probably more so looking at that. I'm nine back. Probably going to be more than ten back at the end of the day the way he's playing. That will be too many, unless I do something really, really silly. He's probably going to get to 20-under. I'm not going to shoot 56.' The highlight of the day came from English golfer John Parry (-3) as he made the first hole-in-one of the tournament. It came at the 175 metre par 3 13th, which is ranked the third hardest hole on the course and boasted a scoring average for the day of 3.14, as Parry's tee shot landed on the green, took two hops and dropped into the cup, much to the delight of the roaring crowd. It turns out Parry has pulled off a miraculous shot more often than most. 'I think that is about ten. I haven't counted back and could probably work it out, but it's about ten,' Parry said of his hole-in-ones. Originally published as Fans befuddled by 'absolutely insane' Rory McIlroy moment
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Open Championship: TV channel, streaming, tee times, pairings for final round Sunday
Scottie Scheffler enters the fourth and final round of the 2025 Open Championship on top of the leaderboard. Scheffler shot a 4-under par 67 in the third round at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. He's lived up to the billing as the World No. 1 and tournament favorite. He took the lead on Friday during the second round and has pushed his score to 14-under, putting him four strokes ahead of Haotong Li, who is second on the leaderboard at 10-under. Matt Fitzpatrick is in third place at 9-under. He had finished the second round in second place before slipping into third on Saturday. Rory McIlroy, a native of Northern Ireland, is among a group of four golfers (Chris Gotterup, Harris English and Tyrell Hatton the others) tied for fourth place at 8-under. USA TODAY Sports will have complete final round coverage from Royal Portrush, so make sure to check back for live updates. Open Championship 2025 leaderboard Leaders after Round 3. Click here for the latest leaderboard updates and tee times. Where to watch Open Championship: TV channel, streaming Sunday Live coverage of this year's Open Championship will be provided by NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel and Peacock. Live streaming is also available via Fubo, which is offering a free trial for new subscribers. All times Eastern Watch the 2025 Open Championship with Fubo The Open tee times today: British Open pairings For a full list of tee times, you can find Sunday's starts here. All times Eastern 2025 Open Championship odds British Open odds according to BetMGM, as of the conclusion of Round 3: 2025 Open Championship predictions Predictions made ahead of The Open Championship: Brady Kannon writes: "Rahm played tremendous golf from tee-to-green at Oakmont — one of the very best in the entire field — but his putting was awful. He finally found a hot putter on the final day, shot a 67 and finished seventh. Not only am I looking for the top players and good current form, but I also want golfers who are well-versed in links-style golf. Rahm fits the bill as he has finished top-7 at the Open Championship in three of the past four years and has won the Irish Open three times." Alex Myers writes: "If you had said before the season that McIlroy would be coming back to his home country with three wins and a major under his belt in 2025, you'd have made him a clear favorite." Nick Hennion writes: "For Straka, his distance won't be punished at the Open like it would at the Masters and PGA. That should allow his two best attributes – iron play and putting – to shine. Amongst all PGA Tour players this season, Straka ranks second in SG: APP, first in greens in regulation percentage and 16th in SG: Putting. Based on those factors, the price alone is worth it for Straka to claim his first major title."
Leader Live
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Flawless Scottie Scheffler leads at The Open but Rory McIlroy threat remains
However, the Northern Irishman's six-shot deficit may be too far back even for someone who completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters earlier this year, considering the quality of his quarry. McIlroy's description of Scheffler as 'inevitable' summed up the situation perfectly, as while the American was not as spectacular as he was on Friday in assuming the lead, his progress to a 67 and a four-shot advantage was serene. Calamity is not in Scottie's dictionary. A birdie every day for the world number one on 16. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025 Matt Fitzpatrick, who began the day one behind, briefly drew level after an eagle at the second but he was never able to edge himself in front, and every time he slipped up he was punished by his playing partner, either by moving another shot away or saving an unlikely par. McIlroy, six groups ahead, rode the wave of home support hyped by three birdies in his first four holes, and while his momentum stalled it was reignited by a monster 56-foot eagle putt – his longest of the week – at the 12th which produced the loudest roar of the tournament. It was important as he had bogeyed the previous hole in a bizarre incident when his shot from the rough dislodged a previously buried ball. But it was a stroke of good luck at the 15th which brought his final birdie of the day as, coming out hot from the rough, it bounced against the flagstick and dropped four feet from the hole. McIlroy mania reached its peak at the 17th. With his burnt orange shirt appearing red on television screens, the sight of him marching out of the packed gallery surrounded by thousands of fans was reminiscent of Tiger Woods. The crowd were so ramped they went wild as he pitched 33 feet past the hole, offering little chance of birdie, but they believed – as they will continue to do on Sunday. The Masters champion, however, is a little more realistic. 'Scottie Scheffler, he is inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff he has become a compete player,' said McIlroy. '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 with a similar start to today and get the crowd going, hopefully he feels that behind me – and you never know.' Scheffler looks unshakeable, though. Already with a three-shot lead, he birdied the difficult Calamity Corner 16th for the third successive day and the gap was looking as big as the chasm in front of the par three. China's ultra-consistent Haotong Li is his closest challenger, with Fitzpatrick dropping back to nine under – where he started the round – having reached 11 under. Scheffler reeled off six straight pars but still did not lose his overnight lead before a back-to-back eagle and birdie represented a gear shift. His back nine included eight pars, and the kind of nerveless saves which have made him one of the most successful and consistent golfers of the last three years – closing out victory the last 10 times he has held the outright 54-hole leads. 'A lot of it is staying patient. I know what I need to do tomorrow and it is a matter of going out and doing it,' said Scheffler, whose three majors wins have all come leading after the third round. 'I'm not thinking about winning The Open when I go to sleep tonight.' Lee Westwood made it through Final Qualifying to book his place in The 153rd Open. Today, he carded a back-nine 29 at Royal Portrush and currently sits in the top 20. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025 Englishman Tyrrell Hatton got himself to nine under but a bogey at the 16th halted his progress, while slightly further down the leaderboard 52-year-old compatriot Lee Westwood had a round of two halves, going out in 40 before an Open record-equalling 29 for the back nine. 'It was a good back nine, wasn't it? I'd have taken 29 on the back nine stood on the 10th tee,' he said. Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who started the day two under having been in danger of missing the cut until a birdie run on his Friday back nine, played the three par-fives in five under with two eagles on the back nine after a birdie at the second. His 66 moved him to seven under but the two-time major winner accepts he is too far back. 'It would have to be a perfect storm situation, it doesn't look like any of those boys up front are letting up,' he said.
Leader Live
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Rory McIlroy makes strong start on day three to climb The Open leaderboard
The Northern Irishman, from an hour down the road at Holyrood, promised he would be 'firing over the weekend' after making the cut on three under – which was more than he managed six years ago on his home Open here. He was true to his word with a brilliant 36-foot curling putt at the first, made possible by hitting the opening fairway for the first time this week, and his longest putt of the week produced a determined but understated clenched fist celebration. Rory's in red. He's away with a birdie on the 1st. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025 The Masters champion has the power to reach the 575-yard second into the wind in two and duly did so with an approach to 27ft from the right rough. He could not hole his eagle attempt but settled for a birdie, with a brilliant approach to seven feet at the par-four fourth gaining him another shot to get within four of 10-under leader Scheffler, who had still to take to the course alongside England's Matt Fitzpatrick. Up ahead of him, Russell Henley was putting together a decent round with five birdies and an eagle, with only one bogey, through 12 holes to also get to six under. Magic on 13. It's a hole-in-one for John Parry. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025 Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark shot a five-under-par 66 to get himself to five under. The highlight of Yorkshireman John Parry's day was holing a 199-yard eight iron for an ace at the 13th in a round of 67 which saw him finish three under.
