The Open 2023: third round updates – live | The Open

Here’s Rory! The 2014 champion walks to the first tee with the pleading of a young fan ringing in his ears. Aw! It’s beyond sweet. The little lad so wants his hero to do well today. But hey, don’t we all? The course is sitting there begging to be attacked, a birdie blitz waiting to happen, at least until the rain forecast for later this afternoon hits the Wirral. A quick wiggle of the shoulders before he belts one down the track. He’s going round with Max Homa who splits the fairway as well.

Alex Fitzpatrick walks in another birdie, this time at 10. Players are putting with increased confidence bordering on sass on these slightly slower greens. Attacking the pins is also the order of the day. Corey Conners wedges close on 12 from 115 yards and that’s another birdie for the Canadian, too. Both move to -2. There’s a score out here today.

Rahm’s run of birdies comes to an end at the par-three 13th. His tee shot doesn’t quite hold the green and topples over the back, but only just, and he’s able to pull putter and lag up to kick-in distance. He consolidates his birdie blitz with par, remaining at -3 and demonstrating what can be done to the entire chasing pack.

The young South African amateur Christo Lamprecht copped the cold wet fish of golfing reality full in the coupon yesterday. A 79 to follow up the astonishing opening round of 66 that gave him a share of the 18-hole lead. He only just squeaked under the cutline, but that’s the least he deserved after providing so many thrills on Thursday. He’s already more than earned the Silver Medal for low amateur guaranteed to be his providing he completes all 72 holes, as no other amateur has made the cut. He’s carded a 76 today, a slight disappointment given he was one over for his round through 13, going on to double-bogey 14 and 18, the latter the result of sending his second shot OB. But it’s easily done. He’s far from the first to run up a number on 18, and he most definitely won’t be the last. He’s +8.

… but the hottest property on the course right now is the Masters champion Jon Rahm. He’s just carded four birdies in a row around the turn, at 9, 10, 11 and 12. Throw in the one he made at the 5th, and that’s five under for his round. He’s catapulted himself up the standings into a tie for fourth, and so what better time to update the old leaderboard?

-10: Harman
-5: Fleetwood
-4: Straka
-3: Rahm (12), Lee, Sharma, Day
-2: Rozner (1), Hojgaard (1), Otaegui, Grillo, Spieth, Young
-1: Fowler (F), Cantlay (F), Schauffele (16), Smith (15), M Fitzpatrick (15), Conners (11), A Fitzpatrick (9), Matsuyama (4), Bland (2), Southgate, Lawrence, McIlroy, Homa, Migliozzi, Stewart, Jordan, Cink, Stenson, Clark

There are other big names still out there scoring well. Defending champion Cameron Smith, 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, and regular major-championship nearly-man Xander Schauffele are all currently three under for their rounds through 15 holes, and -1 overall for the tournament. Nice and neat. Fitzpatrick’s younger brother Alex is also three under for his round having just hit the turn; he’s -1 overall on his major-championship debut. Corey Conners is yet another player three under for the day at -1; he’s through 11 holes. It’s a popular place to be.

It’s a dreich day on the Wirral. Damp, cloudy and occasionally rainy … but far from miserable because conditions are not bad at all for scoring. Hoylake is playing a little longer as a result of earlier rain, but the greens are slightly tamer, so it’s swings and roundabouts. The earliest beneficiaries? Rickie Fowler and Patrick Cantlay, both round in 67, both currently the joint clubhouse leaders at -1.

Preamble