2023 British Open updates: Leaderboard and more from Royal Liverpool

HOYLAKE, England — The final men’s golf major of the year is in the books, as Brian Harman has won the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

Harman passed his biggest test Sunday, enduring a typical English summer day of a steady rain and a rocky start to shoot 1-under 70 at Royal Liverpool and win the 151^st British Open by six strokes over Tom Kim (67), Sepp Straka (69), Jason Day (69) and Jon Rahm (70).

Harman, however, had been the leader of a dubious distinction: he’s been a top-10 machine but hasn’t won since the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship, recording 29 top-10s since the start of the 2017-18 PGA Tour season, the most of any player without a win in that span.

“It’s been hard to deal with,” he said. “That’s a lot of times where you get done, you’re like, ‘Dammit, man, I had that one.’…Like when is it going to be my turn again?”

LEADERBOARD: The Open Championship tournament leaderboard scores, schedules, pairings and more

Towering Christo Lamprecht fires 66 to take early lead

Christo Lamprecht, a rising senior at Georgia Tech standing 6-foot-8, became the third South African winner of the Amateur Championship in the last six years with his victory last month. He also helped Georgia Tech to a national runner-up finish in the NCAA Championship in May.

He certainly got comfortable early at Royal Liverpool, firing a 66 to take the early lead on Thursday.

That led to our Adam Schupak coining a new name for the lanky golfer.

Here’s a look at all the amateurs in the field, from our Cameron Jourdan.

Chaos at the gates made for a rocky start at Royal Liverpool

As our Adam Schupak can attest from the photo below, there were issues at the gates this morning at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, the site of the 151st Open Championship. Of course, this isn’t the first time the site has held the major event.

This leads to a fair question: Why was the R&A not better prepared to get fans through the turnstiles? With crowd estimates this week at over 200,000 the organizing bodies must have had a plan to get these patrons through the gates, but it clearly wasn’t as effective as it could have been.

Brad Faxon thinks Scottish win was best preparation for Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in each of his last six starts, his longest such stretch since he had a streak of seven straight before the 2019-2020 season was suspended due to COVID-19. He made birdie on the final two holes Sunday to nip Robert MacIntyre and win the Genesis Scottish Open, his 24th PGA Tour title, and improved to No. 2 in the world.

“I don’t feel like it really proves anything,” McIlroy said on Sunday. “I don’t feel like I need to prove anything in my career, but it’s satisfying to know that for me that I can still do it.”

NBC’s Brad Faxon, who doubles as McIlroy’s putting coach, argued that there can be no better preparation for competing in a major than to duel in the heat of battle for a title ahead of one of the four weeks that matter most.

“I don’t buy that you can practice better for a major by staying home. I think this is the best thing he could have done. Is it better to finish fourth place than first? I don’t think so,” Faxon said.

McIlroy is one of our featured pairings to watch, as he sets out with Jon Rahm and Justin Rose at 9:59 a.m.

Here’s more on Rory McIlroy from our Adam Schupak, who is live on site.

Where does Royal Liverpool rank among Golfweek's Best's courses?

The site of the 2023 Open Championship, Royal Liverpool, was opened in 1869 and sculpted from the Hoylake surroundings by the quartet of Robert Chambers, George Morris, Harry S. Colt, Donald Steel.

How does the historic course stack up against others in the region?

According to Golfweek’s Best rankings, the course is No. 32 on the Top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland – built before 1960.

Here’s a look at the full list. 

The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each layout is ranked against others in Great Britain and Ireland to produce the final rankings.

Here's NBC's announcing team at British Open

Who’s that on the mic for the tournament broadcast by NBC and its various cable and streaming partners?

Great question. We’re here to answer it as we watch the favorites along with some of the sleepers who could win it all.

So, here you go: Here’s who’s calling the action this week:

NBC, USA Network and Peacock

Host: Mike Tirico

Play by Play: Dan Hicks, Mike Tirico, Terry Gannon and Steve Sands

Analyst: Paul Azinger, Brad Faxon, Nick Faldo and Paul McGinley

Tower: Curt Byrum and Brad Faxon

On-Course: John Wood, Notah Begay III, Smylie Kaufman, Arron Oberholser and John Cook

Essays: Jimmy Roberts

Interviews: Cara Banks

— Charles Curtis, For The Win

Weather update: Lots of rain in store for Liverpool

The conditions have been near-perfect for the opening round of the 151st Open Championship, with temperatures in the mid-60s, plenty of sun poking through puffy clouds and a light breeze.

But the good news ends there.

Here’s what’s in store for the rest of the tournament:

• Friday – Rather cloudy morning with a few light to moderate showers likely. Bright or sunny spells in the afternoon with any showers dying out. (Rain: 0-1 mm, 10% 1-2 mm). High: 17°C (63°F). Low: 14°C (57°F). Winds: W to NW 10-13mph gust 14-17 mph increasing 13-16mph gust 18-23 mph by afternoon, slowly easing SW 8-10 mph gusts 12-14 mph during evening.

• Saturday – A few showers developing prior to midnight. Periods of light to moderate rain soon developing, continuing through the day and possibly into the evening. (Rain: 5-10 mm, 30% 15-20 mm). High: 18°C (64°F). Low: 15°C (59°F). Winds: S to SE 8-11mph gust 12-15mph, increasing during the morning to SW 10 to 14mph gusts 17 to 20mph (small chance gusts 25mph).

• Sunday – Low confidence in detail. Showers or longer spells of rain, potentially heavy and thundery at times. Winds highly uncertain, but moderate W or SW winds currently favored, potentially strong later.

Hojgaards twinning at the British Open

Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard are the first set of twins to ever compete at a British Open. The twins from Denmark, who are two minutes apart, turned professional in 2019 and both also competed at this year’s PGA Championship, where Rasmus missed the cut and Nicolai tied for 50th.

So far in the first round at the British, Rasmus is near the bottom of the leaderboard at 5-over and Nicolai is even.

They join another set of brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick, who are competing for the Claret Jug, making the first time two sets of brothers are in the field since 1985.

Fleetwood making a charge, gets to top of leaderboard

With a long birdie putt on the 16th hole, Tommy Fleetwood moved into a tie at the top of the Open Championship leaderboard at 5 under and that’s how he finished the day.

Fleetwood made his Open debut at Hoylake in 2014 but missed the cut, as he did at St. Andrews the following year and Troon in 2016.

He failed to shine in another Open close to home at Birkdale in 2017, when he finished in a tie for 27th, but his runner-up showing at Portrush in 2019 and a tied-fourth placing at. St Andrews last year underlined his pedigree.

“Winning a major is a dream, or winning The Open is a huge, huge dream,” Fleetwood said. “No matter where that is, that’s always something I’ve visualized and always thought about but, having the opportunity to do it so close to where you grew up, is something that’s very unique and very special.

Here’s more on the local favorite, who lost his mother in the last year.

Players competing for record purse at 2023 Open Championship

The R&A announced the prize money payouts for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, July 19-23, where the 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year will receive the highest earnings in championship history.

The man who hoists the Claret Jug at the end of the week will walk away with $3 million, while second ($1,708,000) and third ($1,095,000) will each clear seven figures, as well. The total purse will be $16.5 million, an 18% increase from 2022. 

Another under-par round for Brooks Koepka at a major

With a solid stretch of golf on the back nine at Royal Liverpool, Brooks Koepka finished at 70 in his opening round on Thursday, one shot under par.

This is nothing new for Koepka, who has more than doubled the field in terms of rounds under par at majors in the last seven years. Of course, this success has led to five major titles, including the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Where's Sergio Garcia?

Sergio Garcia has been a staple at the Open Championship since 1997. That streak ended this year as the LIV Golf member failed to qualify.

The Spaniard played the par-72 6,973-yard West Lancashire in early July and posted rounds of 67-71, good enough for 6 under and a T-6 finish.

However, there were just five spots up for grabs. Here’s more on those who qualified at that event.

Since 1998, Garcia has made 24 starts at the Open, missing just four cuts and totaling 12 top-20 finishes, 10 of which were top 10s. His career-best finish came at Carnoustie in 2007 where he earned the silver medal.

Garcia played in two of the three major championships so far this season, missing the cut at the Masters and tying for 27th at the U.S. Open.

Who did we pick?

The last time we were in Hoylake, Rory McIlroy became the 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year after outlasting Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. McIlroy, who finished third at St. Andrews last year, is coming off a stellar win at the Genesis Scottish Open, battling tough conditions down the stretch and birdieing the final two holes.

Cam Smith enters the week as the reigning champion thanks to his come-from-behind victory over McIlroy at the Old Course.

Before the action gets underway Thursday morning, here are Golfweek‘s picks to win and a few sleepers to keep an eye on. (For the record, none of us has the current leaders.)

Is the new 17th hole playing fair? Jordan Spieth thinks so

The new par-3 17th at Royal Liverpool has replaced the old 15th. Known as “Little Eye,” the new hole plays to 136 yards and features a raised horizon-line green, with the Dee Estuary as a backdrop, guarded by bunkers with massive fall-off areas on all sides.

The layout was altered to accommodate the new hole. What was the 16th hole is now the 15th. The former 17th hole is now No. 16, and the old par-3 15th hole has been removed.

While it gave some players difficulty in its first real test on Thursday, Jordan Spieth said he likes the addition.

“Today it was at a number where I felt like I could just put a wedge in the back of my stance on the back of a divot and just flight something, which is nice. The wind picks up or tomorrow as it changes direction, I think, and it’s blowing harder and into us, it could become carnage. But it’s fair,” Spieth said. “You have a big enough area to hit. The greens aren’t surfaces that’ll rip back if you flight the ball the rye way. You have to hit a really nice shot. If you do, you have a good look at birdie, and if you don’t you have a difficult par.

“I actually think it’s fair. I wouldn’t necessarily put it in the top three greatest short par-3s, but I think it’s a really good one, and I think it’ll be really exciting because not only do you have that hole, you have that and then 18 right afterwards that you have to hit two really, really nice tee shots.”

Tony Finau putted the ball backward in a bunker. Less than five feet

A flatter series of bunkers along with the multitude of the sandy deterrents has some players struggling to figure out where to play tee shots and approaches at Royal Liverpool with the 151st Open Championship underway.

Much had been made about how grounds crews had flattened the bunkers in advance of the tournament, a move that doesn’t allow wayward shots to settle comfortably in the middle.

The result has been an array of difficult lies for players, some in fairway bunkers and others while cozying up to the greens.

For example, Tony Finau went backward in a bunker on the fifth hole, using a putter.

Rory McIlroy lips out putt from two feet

Rory McIlroy, who made the turn at Royal Liverpool, dropped what cannot be viewed as anything but an unnecessary stroke. But it’s also a reminder that even the best golfers in the world aren’t immune to the frustrations of the sport.

On the green at No. 8, looking to convert a two-foot par putt, McIlroy − the No. 2 ranked men’s player in the World Golf Rankings − mishit it and saw the ball lip around the cup to force a bogey tap-in. That moved him to 1-over par and a tie for 50th.

Lynch: What if we didn't pay players at the Open (and other majors)?

Our Eamon Lynch has some ideas about to rejuvenate or “grow the game,” including one that would that would take purses and sink them into other programs.

From his column:

Here’s all of Lynch’s column at Golfweek.

Emiliano Grillo stays hot to close impressive first round to claim co-lead

After bogeying two of his first three holes of the day, Argentinian pro Emiliano Grillo was the best player the rest of the way. And now he’s in a tie for the lead at the British Open.

Grillo sank a 55-foot putt on No. 18 to record his seventh birdie of the day — including five on the back-9 — and close out his round at 5-under par and in a tie atop the leaderboard.

Grillo joins amateur Christo Lamprecht and Tommy Fleetwood, both of whom finished their rounds earlier Thursday.

Justin Thomas whiffs during catastrophic day

It hasn’t been the best of years for Justin Thomas.

And his first round at the British Open? Not great.

There was one shot in particular that stood out. He was right behind one of those super tough pot bunkers at Royal Liverpool — ones that golfers like Christo Lamprecht have had to navigate — and he tried to go over it, which is probably the right move.

He went too short with it, the ball hit the top of the bunker and in it went.

This wasn’t unique. Thomas struggled mightily throughout the day, playing his way to a 4-over 39 on the front and closed with a nine on the final hole of an 11-over 80 to effectively shoot himself out of the tournament.

Incredible sequence from Rory McIlroy could be a gamechanger

At the end of an up-and-down day that included a lipped-out two-footer, Rory McIlroy could have gone off the rails on the 18th hole after his bunker shot failed to emerge.

But McIlroy kept his focus and pulled off an incredible shot while standing on one leg to make par and get out of Thursday with an even-par 71.

Max Homa hanging around, inched his way near top of leaderboard

Playing with confidence throughout his first round at Royal Liverpool, Max Homa has been efficient and is setting himself up for a potential run late in the weekend.

Homa has bogeyed only one hole, back on No. 9, but has been steady otherwise. Finishing at 3-under par, Homa’s tee shot on the par-3 No. 17 presented a chance for him to close the gap with the leaders (amateur Christo Lamprecht, Tommy Fleetwood and Emiliano Grillo at 5-under), but his birdie putt up the hill of the green was left short. Still, Homa is tied for seventh and is playing clean and balanced.

Brian Harman has stormed into the lead at Royal Liverpool

Brian Harman shot out to a lead during the second round after making four birdies in a row on the front nine and then made a great par save at 12. In fact, he had 12 straight pars before closing with an eagle on the 18th to post a 65 and take a whopping five-shot lead on the field.

Max Homa learned the course ... on YouTube

Ah, these youngsters and their approach to the game. Max Homa, who had a pair of birdies and bogeys in the first half-dozen holes on Friday morning, admitted he learned about the course via YouTube videos.

“I know very little about Hoylake actually other than Tiger’s domination hitting one driver in 72 holes,” Homa said before the tournament.

“Other than St. Andrews, I feel like (PGA Tour pros) don’t know much over there unless you’ve already played them. I’ve watched it on YouTube.

“The Open courses are so unique. Here, you can walk out and figure out where to go. There, you’ve got to do so much research.”

Despite the uneven start to the day, Homa is still in great position, just a few shots off the top of the British Open leaderboard.

Viktor Hovland's Hartford Whalers-like outfit gets roasted

It’s a tradition unlike any other: Roasting the outfits Viktor Hovland wears for majors.

There was the floral shirt at The Masters, whatever you want to call what he wore at the PGA Championship, some kind of zebra-looking thing at the U.S. Open … and then there’s what he wore for the second round of The Open Championship 2023.

The way people are describing this one, with its various shades of blue and aquamarine? I agree with the fans who said it looks like the Hartford Whalers logo.

— Charles Curtis, For The Win

Shots? We got some shots. Check out The Open's 'Shots of the Day'

Harman aims to be third lefty to win the Open

There are 14 left-handers who have won on the PGA Tour.

There have been only two southpaws to win the Open Championship.

Brian Harman, who walked off the 18th at Royal Troon with a closing eagle and five-shot lead, is seeking to become the third.

Also, here’s a look at the left-hander’s golf equipment, from our David Dusek.

Special whisky for 151st Open making the rounds

The walk into the merchandise at the Open Championship treats you to a history lesson on not only the tournament and many of its great champions, but Royal Liverpool as well.

Once inside, the Open has a great collection of brands: Peter Millar, TravisMathew, Kjus, Boss, the Tartan Collection just to name a few. Lots of navy and bold yellows and Claret Jug logoed items.

But one of our favorites is a Loch Lomond single-malt scotch whisky. The premium bottle is running a cool $299 online. According to the folks from Loch Lomond, “this certified Organic 22-year-old whisky was distilled in the year 2000 at Loch Lomond. It celebrates every Open Championship from the 1st ever at Prestwick, in 1860 through to the 151st Open this year at Royal Liverpool. A flavour profile showcasing soft honey, pineapple, mango and toasted oak.”

Here’s more from the merchandise tent.

— Adam Schupak, Golfweek

John Daly

John Daly, who won the 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews in a playoff with Costantino Rocca, had a rough go of it at Royal Liverpool, but saved the best for last, dropping a birdie on the 18th hole of his second round.

After a 77 in Thursday’s opening round, Daly shot a 41 on the front during the second round. He finished with another 77 on Friday to leave the event at 12 over par.

Daly hasn’t made the cut at the Open since 2012, when he finished T-81.

With projected cut at 3 over, Talor Gooch has some work to do

With three victories on the LIV Golf circuit in the past four months, many thought Talor Gooch might be poised to make a run at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

The Oklahoma native appears destined to miss the cut, however, after an opening-round 74 and another rough go on the front during Friday’s action.

The Open Championship makes the cut at the top 70 players in the field (plus ties).  The cutline appears to be settling at 3 over, but Gooch was 6 over after making bogey at No. 12.

Gooch most recently captured the title at LIV Golf Andalucía less than three weeks ago, when he edged Bryson DeChambeau by a single stroke.

Local product Matthew Jordan is just enjoying himself

Plenty has been made of Matthew Jordan, a local product who is still hanging around near the top 10 after 36 holes of the 151st Open Championship.

Can Jordan use the momentum from this week to bigger and better things in the future? He thinks it’s a possibility.

“Who knows? I think one thing certainly so far if I carry on is how I’ve played under pressure and how I’ve played with so much support. I think that’s helped me a lot,” he said after shooting a 73 on Friday to sit at 1 under for the tournament.

“Even though I have been nervous, I still managed to hit the golf shots and play quite well. I think that’s one thing so far that I’m taking from. But in terms of what it does afterwards, they’re long seasons, and they’re long years. Who knows.”

Brian Harman's 36-hole lead breaks an Open record

Brian Harman’s lead at the 151st Open Championship isn’t just big after two rounds of play, it’s the largest in the storied history of the tournament.

According to statistician Justin Ray, the left-hander finished 36 holes with a five-shot lead, good enough for the best margin of all time. Only three others have led by four strokes at this point in the event, and two of the three were victorious, while the other finished second.

Harman will have plenty of time to think about his cushion — the Georgia product will have had 26 hours of rest between the end of his second round and his tee time in Saturday’s third round.

Cam Smith eagles, Scottie Scheffler birdies 18 to make the weekend

The 18th hole at Royal Liverpool has bedeviled many in the field, but defending champion Cam Smith got the best of the hole during Friday’s second round.

Sitting at 4 over, Smith needed at least birdie to make the cut. He did one better, nestling his approach shot to about a foot, setting up a tap-in eagle to post a second consecutive 72. He’s 2 over overall but playing the weekend.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler found himself in a greenside bunker in two on the closing hole. He was also at 4 over, needing at least birdie.

His bunker shot glanced off the side of the deep sand trap, only to land on some grass before bounding towards the hole. His ball stopped inside a foot, setting up a tap-in birdie and securing a Saturday tee time.

How to watch 2023 Open Championship

The third round starts at 6 a.m. Saturday ET on Peacock. Streaming coverage there goes till 2 p.m.

The TV coverage starts on the USA Network at 5 a.m. and goes till 7 a.m.

Then NBC takes over with live coverage from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For a complete look at Saturday’s third-round tee times, click here.

Saturday pairings of interest

• The first group off is Robert MacIntyre and Rickie Fowler

• For a third straight day, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay will play together

• Max Homa, Rory McIlroy

• Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth

• The final group off is Tommy Fleetwood, Brian Harman

Weather still looks dicey for later Saturday, much of Sunday

Organizers of the 151st Open Championship are hoping the rain will hold off at Royal Liverpool, but the forecast still looks daunting.

Here’s a look at the official weather, per the R&A:

Jason Day says Min Woo Lee has the 'formula' to win a major

Jason Day is firmly in the mix at Royal Liverpool, sitting at 3 under in a tie for fourth place at the midway point.

But Day isn’t the only Aussie in that position — Min Woo Lee rebounded from a pair of early bogeys on Friday to post a 68 and is tied at 3 under with Day and Shubhankar Sharma.

Day isn’t surprised, and in fact said he expects bigger and better things from Lee as he perfects his game.

“He’s a great player. I think once he learns to control — it’s going to get better because he’s obviously young. But he’ll gain more control with his swing, gain more control overall with his game,” Day said. “He’s got a tremendous short game. Putts really, really nice. He hits it a mile. Once he can learn to kind of keep everything there obviously there’s no wonder to see him up on the major championship leaderboards this year because of what type of game he has. Hits it a very, very long way and has a very good short game. That is typically a good formula for success, especially around major championship golf courses.

“Man, it would be nice to be able to hit it his length. I’m dinking little 3-woods out there right now.”

Jon Rahm fires record 63

What a Saturday round for Jon Rahm.

The Spaniard, who won the Masters in April, fired a third-round 8-under 63 to vault into solo second and four shots behind overnight leader Brian Harman. The 63 is an Open Championship record at Royal Liverpool, besting the old best round by two shots. Harman shot a 65 on Friday.

Rahm got hot on the back nine, recording six birdies, including three of his final four holes.

Harman bogeys the first, lead shrinks

Brian Harman got off to a shaky start in the third round.

He bogeyed the first hole. Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood made birdie, getting to within three shots of the lead and tying Jon Rahm in second place. The rain also started after the leaders teed off at 3:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET).

The other Fitzpatrick goes low

Matt Fitzpatrick made a name for himself last year when he won the U.S. Open. His younger brother Alex, who caddied for Matt when he won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club at Brookline, is making a name for himself at The Open.

Alex shot 6-under 65 on Saturday to vault up the leaderboard into fourth when he drained his birdie putt on the closing par 5.

Big brother sits at 2 under through three rounds, but he’s trailing Alex by two shots with 18 to go.

Harman makes another bogey

Brian Harman likely would have preferred to get off to a better start Saturday.

A poor approach into the par-4 fourth hole, which went long to a back pin, resulted in him making his second bogey in the opening four holes, dropping him to 8 under for the tournament. His lead decreased to two shots over Jon Rahm, who as a reminder is in the clubhouse, and Tommy Fleetwood, who is three shots better than Harman through four holes on Saturday.

Cameron Young

Cam Young, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, finished second last year at The Open, and he’s making another run this year to get into contention.

On the eighth and ninth holes, he hit shots to a couple feet for tap-in birdies. He shot 3-under 32 on the front nine and is only three shots back making the turn.

Leaders making the turn

Brian Harman’s best shot of the day was his tee shot on the par-3 ninth. He stuffed an iron to a couple feet and had an easy birdie putt, moving back to 10 under and carding an even-par 35 on the front nine with two bogeys in his first four holes, but he birdies Nos. 5 and 9.

His lead was five when the day started and is four after nine holes. Fleetwood carded a 1-under 34 on the front and remain tied with Jon Rahm at 6 under for second.

Jason Day turned in 3-under 33 and also sits at 6 under with Rahm and Fleetwood.

Brian Harman pulling away

It was a rough start for Brian Harman, as we’ve documented. However, through 12 holes on Saturday at The Open, his lead is back to five.

Harman had a terrific drive and approach shot on the par-4 12th, setting up his third birdie of the day to move him to 11 under for the tournament. He is five shots clear of Jon Rahm and Jason Day. Tommy Fleetwood dropped to 5 under after a bogey on the 10th. He had a birdie look on the 12th, but Fleetwood’s putter is cold.

Meanwhile, Harman is feeling the flow and in cruise control, building an almost insurmountable lead late in the third round.

Another birdie

In the beginning part of the day, there were numerous players making runs and positioning themselves to have a shot at Brian Harman.

However, Harman is seemingly the only golfer making any putts the past couple hours, and he has increased his lead to SIX strokes with five holes to play in the third round, including two par 5s.

Young moves into solo second

After finishing second at St. Andrews in his Open Championship debut last year, Cameron is in second after 54 holes at Royal Liverpool.

Young got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole for birdie to cap a 5-under 66, moving him to 7 under for the tournament and five shots behind Brian Harman. Barring a big move from someone like Sepp Straka or Tommy Fleetwood, Young has a great chance to be in the final pairing with Harman come Sunday afternoon.

However, he’ll need another stellar round and some help to try to get in position for a victory.

Lead remains five after third round

Brian Harman had a five-shot lead heading into the third round, and he has a five-shot lead heading into the final round, too.

Harman finished his third round with a clutch par putt Saturday, signing for a 2-under 69 to move to 12 under for the tournament and five shots in front of Cameron Young and six in front of Jon Rahm.

Harman’s lead was as little as two shots early in the third round, but he fought back with birdies on Nos. 5, 9, 12 and 13. From there, he made par on every hole to get into the clubhouse unscathed and seeking the Claret Jug come Sunday.

Harman gets heckled on Saturday

HOYLAKE – Brian Harman faced the unenviable task of playing alongside England’s favorite son – at least this week – Tommy Fleetwood and he handled the ‘pro-Tommy’ support like, well, a pro.

“Tommy and I have been friends for a long time,” Harman said. “I knew he was from around here, so I’m not saying I was totally prepared for it, but I knew that he would have a lot of support. It’s nice to see so many fervor-ish fans for Mr. Tommy.”

“Tommy Lad,” as the local faithful having been calling him all week, didn’t give them much to cheer about, which meant some over-served spectators took to giving Harman “the piss,” as they say.

During his post-round press conference, Harman was asked if he relished being able to show the fans that he’s got game too.

“You know, I’d be lying if I didn’t hear some things that weren’t super nice today towards me,” he said. “I hear them, but at the same time, I don’t try to let that influence the decision I’m about to make.”

Asked to elaborate on what he had heard, Harman said, “Unrepeatable.”

He left it at that. But one of my friends was out following Harman on 18 and heard a spectator yell, “F-in American,” and also call the diminutive Harman a “midget.”

Earlier this week American Rickie Fowler was called a coward by a fan. These are exceptions to the rule that says the British fans are the most knowledgeable fans to be found at a golf tournament. As they say, always a few bad seeds. Maybe these fans should pick on someone more their own size.

Weather has rolled in for Sunday's final round

McIlroy makes a move with two early birdies

Rory McIlroy started the final round tied for 11th. On the first hole Sunday, he pounded his drive all of 250 yards in the rain and wind.

But then he started making some putts. He drained a long putt on the third to get to 4 under.

Another birdie on the fourth got him to 5 under. Leader Brian Harman will start his final round at 12 under, so McIlroy has some work to do.

Harman's waggle drawing the ire of fans

Yes, slow play is a thing we talk a lot about with golf in 2023, but with Brian Harman — who entered Sunday leading The Open Championship 2023 — it’s not a huge complaint.

That said, it’s Harman’s pre-swing waggle that’s all the buzz as he’s played at Royal Liverpool. 

He tees up or gets behind the ball and then it begins: A little tiny preview of the backswing. He looks at his target. He looks down at the ball. His heels go up and down and his lower half waggles. It could happen eight or nine times and then he’s ready.

Padraig Harrington on Harman: 'He's holding all the cards'

Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open Championship winner and the last to win the Open back-to-back, was asked after his Sunday round about Brian Harman.

“Look, he has to understand he’s got loads of ways of winning. He could play great and win, he could play average and win, he could tray terrible and just hang in there and win, he could play terrible and he’ll still have a chance coming down the last couple.

“He’s got so many scenarios, so many outs. He’s holding all the cards. That’s just the way it is.

“It doesn’t mean that he will win, but he’s holding all the different options. Unfortunately with golf you don’t get to declare; you have to finish it out. Nobody gives you the tournament.

“He will have to play the 18 holes, and yes, a bit of rain and a bit of wind just adds a little bit to that, but he’s a tough nut. I can tell you that.

“I would expect him to knuckle down. I think the guys behind are looking for that rain to go ahead. I don’t think they’re necessarily looking for the wind to go away, but if the rain goes away, I think the guys behind, somebody could shoot a 6-under par and at least get up close to him and put some pressure on him.”

Jon Rahm makes all-world birdie, gets to 7 under

Jon Rahm didn’t do much the first two days at Royal Liverpool, but then caught fire during Saturday’s third round, posting a 63 to set the course record.

Sunday, after opening with four straight pars, Rahm got a huge break on the par-5 fifth, and capitalized, making birdie to get to 7 under and drawing within four shots of leader Brian Harman.

He even went into Rally Cap mode on the green, turning his hat backwards before sinking his birdie putt.

Minutes later, Harman bogeyed the fifth, and Rahm was within three shots of the lead.

Back-to-back birdies and Harman's lead is back to 5

Harman had bogeys on Nos. 2 and 5, and coupled with Jon Rahm inching closer, Harman’s lead was down to three.

But back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7, including a 24-foot putt on 7, pushed the lead back to five as Harman got it to 12 under.

Waggle counter added to NBC broadcast

NBC decided to have some fun with Brian Harman’s waggle. Golf fans had fun with that, too.

No Royal Liverpool repeat for Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy had his best round of the week Sunday with a 68 and he walked off the 18th green tied for fourth at 6 under. But it’s not the week he was hoping for.

Not after winning the 2014 Open at the same venue. Not after winning the Genesis Scottish Open just seven days ago.

McIlroy now has gone nine full seasons (36 majors) with taking home one of the game’s biggest prizes.

Harman wins first major championship

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek