18:50
This picture just about sums up how Shane Lowry is feeling right now
Shane Lowry
Billy Horschel and Justin Rose
The Open Championship Third Round: LIVE leaderboard and updates from Royal Troon
Welcome to live golf scores, updates and commentary from the third round of The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
American Billy Horschel will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the 2024 Open Championship.
Horschel, playing alongside England's Justin Rose, carded a third round of 69 to sit atop the leaderboard on 4-under par.
Rose battled hard to card a 73 and sits one behind Horschel with five other golfers.
Xander Schauffele, who claimed his first major title earlier in the year, is one of those players.
Thriston Lawrence, Russell Henley, Sam Burns and qualifier Daniel Brown are also on 3-under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler carded a level par 71 and trails by three.
Shane Lowry held the 36-hole lead but endured a tough day on the Ayrshire links on Friday.
The 2019 Open champion carded a 77 to drop back to ninth on the leaderboard.
High-profile players to miss the 36-hole cut included Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Viktor Hovland.
Open ChampionshIp LIVE Leaderboard:
20 Jul 2024
18:46
Daniel Brown takes the solo lead
Brown -6, Lowry -4 (12)
Wow.
Two bogeys on the trot for Lowry.
Lowry missed the green left at the 12th and misses from seven feet to salvage his par.
His bogey attempt is no gimme either, but he makes it and drops back to 4-under.
But Brown is looking absolutely rock solid here.
He fires a dart to four feet and rolls it in.
18:42
A rare mistake from Scheffler
Scheffler -2 (13)
Well that was unexpected.
The world number one makes a bogey from the fairway at the par-4 13th.
Scheffler left himself nine feet for par...
18:41
Another disaster from Niemann
J. Niemann +5 (16*)
What has happened to Niemann over the past two days just about sums up links golf.
Yesterday, he took an eight at the par-3 Postage Stamp.
He rallied to make the cut and was going well today, turning in 2-under.
But a bogey at the par-4 10th followed by a nine (yes, nine!) at the next hole have done some considerable damage to his scorecard.
The Chilean lost his drive at the par-4 11th and things went from bad to worse.
He rebounded from that calamity with three pars in a row, but has just made another bogey at the 15th.
18:36
Two to go for DJ
Johnson E (16)
It's not been a great day for Brooks Koepka, who is now 8-over for the championship and way down the leaderboard.
Koepka has just rattled off four bogeys in a row.
But his playing partner DJ is hanging tough.
He's got a bogey-free round going.
DJ also made birdie on 14 and will be hoping to get through the long, par-3 17th unscathed.
Can he finish strong?
18:32
Lowry is fist pumping
Lowry -5, Brown -5 (11)
The Irishman is pleased, but not because he sunk his huge par putt.
He's salvaged a bogey from five feet, which seems huge right now.
The pressure was on as he just watched Brown's gutsy par save from 10 feet.
There are now three players tied at the top.
18:30
Xander Schauffele spurns glorious chance
Schauffele -4 (15)
Xander's approach play this afternoon has once again been superb.
He's 3-under on the day, and probably should be lower.
X-Man has nine feet for birdie at the par-3 14th, but misses low.
18:28
Fairways found by Rose and Horschel
Rose -4, Horschel -5 (12*)
Both players take the left flank and find the short stuff.
18:27
Rare mistake from Lowry
Lowry is usually so good with his wedges but that was poor from the 2019 Open champ.
He faces a lengthy putt to try and save a par.
Brown is much closer...
18:24
Brown lays up?! Lowry almost tops it...
Lowry -6, Brown -5 (11*)
What's going on here?
Brown has 263 yards to the pin and opts to lay up in the fairway.
Meanwhile Lowry almost tops his second from 235.
His golf ball darts left but stops short of the rubbish.
Work to do.
18:21
Huge par save from Justin Rose
Rose -4 (11)
That is huge from Justin Rose, who holes out from five feet to save his par.
Was that a little fist bump from Rosey? I think it was.
He's digging deep.
18:19
Lowry makes amends
Lowry -6 (11*)
Shane Lowry came unstuck at the par-4 11th yesterday.
The hole, which has the train tracks and OOB looming on the right, is one of the toughest on the course.
Lowry fires his tee shot straight down the middle of the fairway.
17:55
Jordan birdie at 12
Jordan -2 (12)
England's Matt Jordan enters the mix.
He sends a dart into the 12th for a kick-in birdie and it moves him to 2-under par for the tournament.
Four back.
17:45
Horschel joins the leaders
Horschel -6 (9)
Horschel is on a roll here.
He's just poured home another birdie from 12 feet on the 9th to join Brown and Lowry out in front on 6-under par.
17:43
Brown bogey, Lowry double
Lowry -6, Brown -6 (8)
It's bogeys all round for the final pair and we're now tied at the top.
Lowry and Brown both found the coffin bunker to the left of the green.
Brown kept his ball on the green but Lowry found the rough.
Brown two-putted from 20 feet for bogey, while Lowry missed his six footer and down went his first double bogey of the week.
17:36
Niemann makes a 9
Niemann +4 (11)
LIV Golf's Niemann is not having quite as much fortune out there.
He's just made a shocking 9 on the 11th.
Niemann is now down and out at 4-over par for the tournament.
17:34
Burmester birdie
Burmester -3 (9)
LIV Golf's Burmester buries a 20 footer for birdie at the 9th to move to 3-under par for the tournament.
17:31
Henley cards a 66
Henley -3 (F)
It's a two-putt par at 18 for Henley, who cards a brilliant 66.
Henley is 3-under par for the tournament and just five shots adrift of Lowry.
17:30
Brown birdie, one back
Brown -7 (7)
After sending his tee shot over the 8th green while driving down the par-4 7th, Brown sends a stunning wedge shot into four feet and converts the birdie putt.
Brown is now one back of Lowry.
He is looking to become the first qualifier to win a major since Keegan Bradley at the 2011 US PGA.
17:26
X-Man making his move
Schauffele -5 (10)
It's a fourth birdie of the round for US PGA champion Schauffele, who drains a 25-footer at the 10th.
Schauffele is now just three back.
Xander Schauffele
17:24
Horschel on the surge
Horschel -5 (7)
It's a third birdie in four holes for Horschel who drops a bomb for birdie at the 7th.
He's now just three back.
17:12
No Saturday charge from Koepka, Rahm or Johnson
Many expected LIV Golf trio Rahm, Johnson and Koepka to surge on Saturday but they're all struggling.
Koepka has just gone out in 38 and bogeyed the 10th to fall to 4-over par for the tournament.
Rahm is 1-over par for the day and back to 2-over par, while Johnson has parred every hole to remain at 1-over par.
It's certainly not the day the three major champs were looking for at Royal Troon.
17:09
65 for Burns
Burns -3 (F)
Burns matches the low score of the day.
The American's superb round of 6-under 65 vaults him up to 3-under par for the tournament and just five shots off the pace set by Lowry right now.
Burns is going in search of a first major.
17:07
Brown birdie, two back
Brown -6 (6)
It's a tap-in birdie for Brown at the par-5 6th after a brilliant little wedge shot from inside of 100 yards.
Brown moves to 6-under par and just two behind playing partner Lowry, who two-putted for a par.
17:06
Triple for Conners
Conners +2 (7)
Conners has had a shocker on the 7th.
Although there are plenty of birdies to be had this afternoon, huge numbers still await if you're not careful as the Canadian has just discovered.
Conners hacks it around the 7th after an errant tee shot and he falls from in the red to 2-over par for the tournament.
That's likely Conners out the mix now.
Corey Conners
