Rory Tied for Lead Through 54, Hopes to End Major Drought at Home of Golf

Rory McIlroy has continued his stellar display of golf this week with a five-under run of play through his first ten holes on Saturday.

The day started with the two Cameron’s (Smith and Young) in the final group, but the pairing of Rory and Hovland leapfrogged into first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hovland was on fire on the front nine with long-range putts being made from all over, carding four birdies in a row on holes 3-6. Rory then took control with a flawless tee-to-green game that rewarded some birdies before a hole-out eagle 2 on the 10^th hole catapulted Rory to 15 under par and tied for the lead. Rory took the lead on 14 with a birdie to Hovland’s par to take him to -16 for the tournament.

Hovland clawed back level with Rory with a 4 at 17 to Rory’s bogey before the 18^th saw a birdie for both, to leave the leaders tied at 16 under par after shooting a pair of 66s, trading blows throughout the day with fine performances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Elsewhere in the field, DJ and Scheffler loiter around the double digits under par mark, so will need a remarkable Sunday to catch the leaders. 2019 Champion Shane Lowry carded back-to-back eagles on 9 and 10 today, the first player to do so at the Open since Phil Mickelson back in 2001. He is -7 and T13 for the tournament, continuing his good run of form.

Cam Smith is still a threat yet was unable to capitalize on his lead today on Moving Day, starting with a bogey and failing to activate the hot putter he carried with him on Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The battle for low amateur will be interesting, as Italian Filippo Celli sits three shots clear of Englishman Barclay Brown in the Silver Medal battle.

Fears of the Old Course becoming a pushover for today’s pros have arguably been realized, with the 36-hole scoring record broken by Cam Smith’s 13 under total. The leaders are sat at -16 through 54, so -20 or even lower is more than feasible as a finishing total for the Champion Golfer of 2022.

Hovland threatens a major win in only his second Open start tomorrow, but all eyes will be on Rory as he tries to end his eight-year major drought. He is adored by the crowd and played the sort of golf that looks unassailable. He seems to be in a good place both mentally and physically, and his only four dropped shots in 54 holes will hopefully mean that the others will have to come and catch him tomorrow.

Cover Image Via The Guardian