Horschel thrives in rain to take 54-hole Open lead
The first two days at Royal Troon brought wind, but it was the rain's turn to batter the coast and bring true Scottish conditions on Saturday at the Open Championship.
At the end of a rain-swept day, Billy Horschel stood alone above the fray at 4-under after a round of 69. The American showed off an incredible short game throughout a closing stretch that seemed borderline impossible, getting up and down for par from off the green on six of the eight holes.
That was enough to outlast the rest of the field and take his first-ever 54-hole lead at a major in 42 previous starts. However, a host of top talent lurks just below the veteran, waiting to pounce and set up an incredible Sunday at the season's final major.
Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Rose headline a group of six players one shot off the pace. Burns and Thriston Lawrence took advantage of benign weather earlier in the day to shoot 65s and fly up the leaderboard, while Russell Henley did the same with a 66. Schauffele, Rose, and first-round leader Dan Brown battled through the worst of the elements in outstanding displays of golf to remain firmly in the mix.
| Place | Player | Total to par | Round 3 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Horschel | -4 | 69 |
| T-2 | Dan Brown | -3 | 73 |
| T-2 | Sam Burns | -3 | 65 |
| T-2 | Thriston Lawrence | -3 | 65 |
| T-2 | Xander Schauffele | -3 | 69 |
| T-2 | Russell Henley | -3 | 66 |
| T-2 | Justin Rose | -3 | 73 |
| 8 | Scottie Scheffler | -2 | 71 |
| 9 | Shane Lowry | -1 | 77 |
| T-10 | Justin Thomas | Even | 67 |
| T-10 | Matthew Jordan | Even | 71 |
| T-10 | Adam Scott | Even | 66 |
The final 12 groups of the day battled torrential rains throughout their round, with only Horschel and Schauffele posting under-par scores from the bunch. While Schauffele is no stranger to major success, Horschel's in unchartered territory for his lengthy career. He has just one top-10 result in a major in the past decade and six missed cuts in nine starts at The Open.
Many would guess Horschel dislikes the wet and windy conditions The Open can bring based on his resume, but he insisted afterward that isn't the case.
"I've always embraced the toughness of anything. I've always enjoyed it," Horschel told reporters. "I think that's the best way you can do to have a chance to play well. I enjoy hitting little bunt shots. I get tired of golf where you're making full swings, and you're landing to a certain number, and it stops. I like when you have to be creative and get around the golf course."
One thing in Horschel's favor is the tournament's history at Royal Troon. The previous four winners of The Open at the West Scotland venue were all first-time major champions.
If Horschel loved the poor conditions, the opposite can likely be said for 36-hole leader Shane Lowry. The Irishman actually stretched his advantage to three shots early in the day but bogeyed six of his final 11 holes to fall three shots behind at 1-under.
"This is going to take me a couple hours to get over today," Lowry said afterward. "On the way in, I felt like I couldn't make a par. Obviously, it was hard. It's harder in that situation, but it is what it is."
Should the 2019 winner make a charge at a second title, Lowry will have to do so while passing previous major winners Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, and Rose.
Scheffler is likely to grab the most attention among the chasers despite the World No. 1 sitting alone behind seven players. Scheffler again leads the field in strokes gained: approach but sits 114th in putting. Should he pour in some putts Sunday, he could be holding his second major title for the season.