McIlroy, Hovland tied at top
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Standing in one of the Old Course’s 112 bunkers Saturday, Rory McIlroy was about to be right where he wanted to be: atop the leaderboard of the British Open.
His drive on the 10th hole had landed in trouble but not deep trouble, coming to a stop in the middle of the sand trap that defends the front of the green.
McIlroy had room to swing freely, and his second shot flew over the lip of the bunker, bounced three times and then rolled a few more feet into the cup for eagle.
The 27-yard masterstroke gave McIlroy a oneshot lead over Viktor Hovland, his playing partner.
“It was skill to get it somewhere close,” McIlroy said. “But it was luck that it went in the hole. You need a little bit of luck every now and again, especially in these big tournaments. And that was a nice bonus.”
It was the sort of pleasant surprise that can make the difference between winning or losing a major championship, and Hovland got a bonus of his own Friday when he holed out from the rough from 139 yards for eagle on the par-4 15th.
But Hovland, a 24-yearold Norwegian who excelled at Oklahoma State before turning professional in 2019, did not let McIlroy enjoy the lead alone for long. He quickly reeled McIlroy in with a birdie on the 10th that put them both at 15-under par, and they then dueled down the back nine of major golf’s most historic course.
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, was certainly the crowd favorite, but Hovland, a dynamic presence, did not shrink from the challenge. They finished with matching rounds of 66 and a share of the lead at 16-under par that put them four shots clear of the chase pack led by American Cameron Young and Australian Cameron Smith, who are both at 12-under heading into Sunday.
Of the top four men on the leaderboard, only McIlroy, 33, is already a major champion, but the most recent of his four victories came in 2014 when he won the British Open at Royal Liverpool.
Since then, he has experienced plenty of disappointing Sundays.
“Nothing’s given to you, and I have to go out there and earn it, just like I’ve earned everything else in my career,” he said.
Other major champions are also in range. Scottie Scheffler, an American who won the Masters in April and is ranked No. 1 in the world, is at 11-under, tied with Kim Si-woo of South Korea. Dustin Johnson, a two-time major winner from the United States who recently jumped to the breakaway LIV Golf series, is alone at 10-under after a mood-swinging 71 on Saturday.
Matt Fitzpatrick, an Englishman who won this year’s U.S. Open, is at 9under with Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, and Tommy Fleetwood.
But if McIlroy and Hovland continue to sparkle under pressure like they did Saturday, they may not allow the pack much opportunity to close the gap.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen,” Hovland said. “In these conditions and these pin placements, you can play fine and shoot around evenpar, and then that brings a lot of other guys in as well.”
The weather is forecast to remain relatively benign Sunday, with moderate winds and temperatures in the mid-70s. That could mean more of the low scores that have been the rule at St. Andrews in this 150th edition of the Open Championship.
Several players put on quite a show, including Shane Lowry, who chipped in for consecutive eagles on 9 and 10; and Kevin Kisner, who barely made the cut but had the best round of the day: a 7under-par 65 that put him into a tie for 13th place.
“It’s just a fun place to stroll around and play golf, and when the putts are going in, it makes it even more enjoyable,” Kisner said.
That seemed an apt summation of a good day on many a golf course, but success on the Old Course continues to have particular cachet even when the world’s best golfers are having their way with it.
McIlroy is aware of what winning would mean to him and his public — perhaps too aware.
“I love that I have got so much support,” he said. “But at the same time, I need to sort of just stay in my own little world tomorrow and just play a good round of golf, and hopefully that’s enough.”
It was not quite enough to shake free of Hovland in the third round.
At 18, they finished the memorable round as they had begun it: tied and in buoyant spirits.