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5.45 pm BST classification board
Scores on the doors:
-19: Smith (14) -18: McIlroy (13) -17: young (14) -15: Hovland (13) -14: Johnson (15)
Rory McIlroy, now the hunter not the hunter, makes his own journey through hole 14 with the perfect start. His unit finds the fairway. Cameron Young makes a birdie on the 14th; is a behind McIlroy.
Updated at 17.45 BST
Cameron Smith two putts from the green in the 14th to take the lead. A remarkable recovery from the two-time 2022 winner who looked baffled when he left the course last night.
Jordan Spieth finds the road on the 17th. One of the most creative golfers in the world is about to be tested with asphalt, gravel and a fence cap (which could be out of line, to be honest). You don’t get that at Augusta National.
A sensational putt by Rory McIlroy is slowly coming! His birdie putt was 60 feet long and only needed a couple more inches. Tap on par. Viktor Hovland fa bogey.
This was very close to Rory. Photography: Phil Noble / Reuters
Updated at 17.39 BST
McIlroy has found the throwing surface in the 13th. But it is not close to the pin. Has your patience turned to calm? Their only birds today come from two-putts.
Confident Niall O’Keefe sends an email: “Rory Mc is great. Cameron Smith not so much. So Rory wins. QED?” I’m not so sure it’s that simple, Niall!
Half a dozen holes to play in the Open 150 and how have the leaders played this last third of the course during the first three rounds? Viktor Hovland has six less, Cameron Smith three, Rory McIlroy two, Cameron Young one. Oh crikey.
Cameron Smith joins Rory on -18. Photography: Phil Noble / Reuters
Updated at 17.31 BST
Cameron Smith joins the lead! While Dave and I swap chairs (metaphorically), he drains another bird putt. Four in a row. How is your heart?
Updated at 17.28 BST
This is getting tense. Very tense. It’s time to jump into a cold bath while Matt takes you to hole 16. When I close, Rory has found the end of the street at 1 p.m.
Rory misses her again! This is becoming a concern for McIlroy. These putts don’t seem to fall. He’s in front, but for how long after Cam Smith starts an approach at about 12 feet to 13? Hovland gets his bird at age 12 and is again just two behind McIlroy. Watch out for Cameron Young as well, as he has a seven-foot putt for birdie that reaches 13 to reach 16 less.
A brilliant release from Viktor Hovland at the age of 12 and he will surely now make his first birdie of the day. McIlroy’s is not so sharp and is about 10 feet away, a distance from which he has found nothing so far. A big putt is approaching. Cam Smith made a 13-yard touchdown yesterday, but this time he’s on the short turf with his starting shot.
5.17 pm BST classification board
As Rory throws his ball to par-4 12, just before the green, we check the results.
-18: McIlroy (11) -17: Smith (12) -15: Young (12), Hovland (11) -13: D Johnson (13) -12: Harman (16), Spieth (15), Fleetwood (13 ))
Cameron Smith is giving it his all. A huge danger for Rory now as the putts continue to go down. His 12-foot bird crawls into the hole at 12 and is down to -17 and just one behind McIlroy. Cameron Young has a tough pair putt and is three adrift.
A middle-aged man in the crowd holds a paper sign (the marker to a piece of A4 nearby) that says, “This day belongs to Rory.” We will see. Viktor Hovland still doesn’t leave and is three behind after an excellent up and down at 10. Rory shouts “his” after his 11-out shot, but lands safely and a shout of “go “would have been better. Hovland is not happy with his effort at par 3, but he is fine and may have between 20 and 25 feet for the bird. At 14, Spieth makes a bogey to signal the end of any outside challenge.
Cam Smith has an eagle putt rolling at 12, but makes a frustrating growl as he slowly curls up the hill and makes 12 feet short. Rory’s 40 feet at 11 never threatens, so it’s another two-putt green. Hovland can’t convert his and stays three behind his teammate.
Scottie Scheffler as Homer Simpson meme. Photography: Andy Buchanan / AFP / Getty Images
Updated at 17.19 BST
Jordan Spieth making a complete mess of par-5 14th. He drives to a pot bunker, plays backwards, hits his third to near the green, and then reduces his small throw to the style of an 18-convulsion handicap. Looking bogey there; possibly worse. It’s catching on. Viktor Hovland fattened his rough chip to 10 and didn’t make the green.
At 11 and here comes Cameron Smith! The Australian putter is hot again today and just poured a birdie putt to move a shot from McIlroy. But not for long! Rory hits a majestic lag putt from over 100 feet at 10 and approaches for birdie to reach 18 below and regain his two-shot lead.
A lovely little release from Cam Smith on the 10th and he’s two from McIlroy after rolling in the birdie putt, alone. And Cameron Young is also just two adrift after a two-putt birdie from downtown at 10. This is the distance Rory has left after his drive goes to the right edge of this same massive double green, his ball ends closer to the eighth flag. Smith now seems a threat. He halved McIlroy’s lead and made a great starting shot at 11 to create another bird. Young is about 30 feet away.
Updated at 16.58 BST
The first to putt at 9 is Viktor Hovland from about 20 feet. It’s a good hit, but it always seems to be heading halfway. Par. This is a new +1 external, not good enough. Now for eight-foot Rory … and, no sir. He catches a piece of the right edge but is always missing. McIlroy has made two putts to the nine greens. The good news is that he has a two-shot advantage.
Cameron Young leads the green at 10, but is limited to more than 100 feet away. Cam Smith avoids the bunkers and his ball shoots up about 20 yards before the green. Two good opportunities to make a birdie.
Dustin Johnson makes a good putt at 11 to go to -13, which is now fifth solo. Jordan Spieth hits a poor first putt but an excellent second from 12 feet to save the pair at 13 and is tied sixth alongside Tommy Fleetwood (11 holes) at -12. Rory now settled on a 57-yard field for his second at nine. It makes it float and leaves eight feet more or less for the bird
Cameron Young is making his move. Photography: Paul Childs / Reuters
Updated at 16.57 BST
The surprise of the day is Scottie Scheffler, and not in the right way. He lost putt after putt and was three more for the round until he finally made birdie at 10. He drove the green but missed the putt, obvs. Another player who goes the wrong way is Adam Scott, who makes double bogey at 12, another hole that can be driven, after his unplanned visit to the gooseberry bushes. This lowers it from -13 to -11.
At nine, Cameron Young goes bogey after finding trouble, while Cameron Smith misses a great birdie opportunity from nine feet. They are both now 14 and three years behind Rory. McIlroy pulls the driver into the same hole 9 and blocks him well. No problem, though. “A perfect foul,” Nick Faldo says in a comment.
This was explained by Sergio García in the Spanish newspaper Marca. Strong things.
I’m clear on what I’ll do with the European Tour, probably leave it at that. I want to play where they want me, I like to feel loved and honestly on the European tour I don’t feel loved now.
When Thomas Bjorn arrives at the BMW International Open and tells us “We don’t want any of you and all the players to say that,” well, I’m old enough and I’m suffering enough to endure nonsense like this.
I have what I have and I am very happy with it and I want to enjoy it to the fullest. I will play less, I will be more at home.
But honestly, I don’t care much either. I’m sorry about the Ryder Cup, but for how I’m playing, I wouldn’t be for the Ryder either. My resignation is not official, but I will make it effective.
Updated at 16.38 BST
Cameron Young goes to pick him up from the 9th tee and throws him to the left. You may have just cleared a thick concentration of gooseberry bushes. Someone who hasn’t done it is Adam Scott, who has all sorts of helpers shuffling the foliage to get his ball on the 12th. Good luck with that. Cameron Smith finds the fairway at 9 p.m. In fact, Young fined the thick stuff, so that’s a penalty kick. He will play his third, so he still has a chance to save the pair.
Back at 8, McIlroy and Hovland get pairs of two putts. Rory is two minutes away from the field.
Thanks Matt. Rory reminds me of an athlete in a 1500m race. He knows that, on this route, he is the best runner in the field and can cover any break. He was on pace in the first lap, kept Cameron Smith in his sights when the Australian hit the second lap and went with Viktor Hovland in the third lap when the Norwegian shot early. They’ve grabbed the bell and now McIlroy is looking to relax so he can make a Steve Ovett-style gesture down the finish line.
He just played a safe shot in the heart of the 8th green par-3. Bird out of opportunity.
Updated at 16.31 BST
4.27 pm BST classification board
Cameron Young is hanging around. Remember that the top four have the short 9th and 10th par-quat to come. And with that, we get back to Dave. -17: McIlroy (7) -15: Hovland (7), Young (8) -14: Smith (8) -13: Scott (11)
The unmade bed of the seventh green is no problem for Rory McIlroy. Negotiate humps and gaps to establish a safe pair. Ahead of him, Cameron Smith did the same, as did Viktor Hovland, but Cameron Young’s aggressive approach from the tee takes away the reward of a bird.
Wow! Sergio Garcia has said he will leave the DP World Tour and has added to the Spanish press that Thomas Bjorn told him that LIV golfers were not wanted.
The unmade bed look of the Old Course greens is very clear in the 7th. A messy quilt spine sits on the laying surface and will make life …