TROON, Scotland—The British Open brought a final two hours of the worst weather to the world’s best players, and Billy Horschel was up for the fight.
Horschel flipped his cap around to keep rain from dripping off the bill. He played in short sleeves in a biting chill to swing more freely. He embraced everything about Saturday at Royal Troon on a day the course gave most players a royal beating.
He survived with a marvelous short game from pot bunkers and the rough, and he managed a 2–under 69 that gave him a one-shot lead going into a final round and his best shot at winning his first major.
“I’m excited to be here. I’ve wanted to be here my entire life,” he said. “I’m finally here.”
It was getting there Saturday that was so difficult, a third round that got turned upside down and every other possible way.
Shane Lowry went from a three-shot lead to ninth place. Thriston Lawrence of South Africa and Sam Burns started the day 10 shots behind. Now they are among those one back.
PGA champion Xander Schauffele did his scoring in the rain and battled in the wind and shot 69 to be among those one back. Justin Rose made 11 straight pars, and finished with one that prompted a big fist pump. He shot 73 and was one behind.
“I kind of felt like it was going to be the type of day where you could go out and post a score, and it turned into an absolute survival test out there,” Rose said.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was two behind, one of only two players yet to post a round over par this week.
“That’s the hardest nine holes I think you could ever play in golf right now,” said Dustin Johnson, a former world No. 1 with two majors. He shot 72 and was five behind.
There was rain at the start for the leading players, and then a tough wind into their faces on the brute of a back nine at Royal Troon.
Players couldn’t reach par 4s in two shots with a fairway metal. Some of them hit driver into the par-3 17th. Everyone was holding on by the seat of their pants. Scheffler, who missed his share of short putts, drilled a 3-wood into the 238-yard 17th to 2 feet for birdie, among the purest shots of the day.
“I probably don’t hit a 3-wood on a par 3 very often,” Scheffler said. “I probably don’t hit driver and a 3-wood really solid on a par 4 and don’t get there in two, either.”
Horschel was up to the task, saving par on five straight holes on the back nine when he couldn’t reach the green, two of them from deep bunkers. He missed a chance at a sixth straight par save on the 18th and was at 4–under 209.
Shane Lowry couldn’t say the same, and the frustration was evident.
Lowry, who showed his game is built for links golf when he won at Royal Portrush five years ago, had a three-shot lead early and then fell apart. He played the final 11 holes in 7 over, starting with a double bogey from the Coffin bunker on the 123-yard “Postage Stamp” eighth hole. One last bogey gave him a 77 and left him three behind.
“There’s no doubt I’m going to go out there tomorrow thinking I can win the tournament,” Lowry said. “But it’s just hard right now. Ten minutes ago I had to putt for par on the 18th green, and I’m here talking to you guys now trying to figure out how I shot 77 in my own head.”
It was like that for everyone, at least those who faced four-plus hours in the worst of it.
Lawrence teed off more than three hours before the final group, had six birdies in eight holes and posted a 65. He went from 10 shots behind to playing in the final group Sunday with Horschel, one shot behind.
Burns wasn’t too far behind Lawrence. He made eight birdies in his round of 65 and was in the group one shot back that included Russell Henley, who also avoided most of the worst weather and shot 66.
Horschel has a 54-hole lead for the first time in a major. Only once before has he even dealt with the Sunday pressure of a major, in the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion where he started two shots behind and tied for fourth.
Now he gets 18 holes against Royal Troon and a cast of survivors.
That includes Daniel Brown, the Englishman making his major debut at 29 and playing as if he were far more experienced.
Brown had the lead after a birdie on the par-5 16th, only to finish bogey-double bogey. His tee shot on the 18th came to rest on the edge of a deep pot bunker, leaving him no place to stand but some 4 feet down in the sand. He hit into another bunker with his third shot and made double bogey for a 73. He still was only one back.
“I suppose a lot of people probably thought I was going to be shaking this morning and really nervous, but I’ve been absolutely fine,” Brown said.
Brown hit his tee shot on No. 7 so far right that it went onto the eighth green. He played his next shot from in front of the Postage Stamp to 2 feet for birdie that gave him the lead.
The sole objective for Schauffele was to be there at the end.
“If you can get yourself in a position with a few holes to play, I think you’ve really done your job for the week. But this was a good start to that,” Schauffele said. “It’s a packed leaderboard, and it’s going to be one of those where you just really have to keep your head down and try to worry about yourself.”
There were a few highlights. Earlier in the round before it got nasty, Si Woo Kim became the first player to make a hole-in-one on the 17th hole in the 10 British Opens held at Royal Troon.
And the 65s by Burns and Lawrence were not only special, they now have a chance to win. They were in the best place to make a move—in the clubhouse, nice and dry, watching everyone else simply try to survive.
“I’m making a lot of birdies in the clubhouse standing right here,” Lawrence said.
