Brian Harman was losing ground, Jon Rahm was making gains, Jason Day was moving, Tommy Fleetwood was still in the race, and then there was Rory McIlroy.
Anything seemed possible on a Royal Liverpool that was drenched in rain.
Harman stabilized while others observed once-promising rounds deteriorate just as it seemed that the 151st Open Championship would become something different from a runaway.
In the final round of the Open Championship on Sunday, Harman will enter with a five-shot lead, the same advantage he held at the outset of Saturday.
“Yes, the beginning was difficult. Make a few errant shots. It was good to go back and enjoy the back nine.” Harman said.
The final group will include Harman and Cameron Young (66), who is now vying for his first PGA TOUR victory and is currently alone in second place.
Rahm, who shot an 8-under 63 to set a new course record, is six strokes back at 6-under.
A player has held a 54-hole lead of five strokes or more at a major for the 12th time in the previous 40 years.
Nine of the situations saw the leader win, with Greg Norman (six strokes at the 1996 Masters) and Jean Van de Velde (five shots at the 1999 Open Championship) being the only exceptions.
In the United Kingdom and, to be honest, in the United States, not many people are familiar with Harman. The newspapers have given him the moniker “The Butcher of Hoylake” since he has talked extensively this week about how much he enjoys hunting. After his Saturday round, he brought it up once more. His knowledge of deer skinning at the age of 8 is another significant revelation.
This week, Harman has also responded to a number of inquiries over his putting. He has zero three-putts, leads the field in strokes gained: putting (+9.27), and is a startling 44-for-44 from within 10 feet.
When asked to name his two most crucial shots from the third round, Harman mentioned the 3-wood he used to get to the green at the fifth par-5 hole, setting up an easy birdie, and the par-saving putt he made at the seventh par-4 hole from just inside six feet.
He extended his lead by three shots with birdies at the 9th, 12th, and 13th holes. On Sunday, he will start his third PGA TOUR match.
Young hasn’t yet claimed a victory, but all he managed to do while competing at The Open last year was shoot a final-round 65 and place alone in second.
“It seems like the kind of place where, at any point, losing focus on where you need to miss or what the right shot is may cost you hard. The fact that it’s challenging and demands a lot of your attention is practically a blessing, in my opinion. But tomorrow will just be – clearly, Brian seems like he’s going to finish five or six ahead of me, so I think in that scenario you just kind of have to watch how the first couple of holes tomorrow play out and then you maybe start aiming at things that you may not otherwise.” Young said.
Is this the end?
Maybe not, considering Rahm’s seven-stroke victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions represented the largest final-round comeback on the TOUR this year.
“There is still a lot of golf to play. I’m just going to relax and spend the afternoon with my family, that’s all. Nothing can be done. It seems like I’ve put in a lot of solid effort over the last few weeks and this week as well. I also feel like I’ve done what I needed to do, which was to give myself a chance.” Rahm said.
Harman doesn’t have a lot of history topping major leaderboards. At the 2017 U.S. Open, the only occasion he had a lead, he faltered and finished tied for second after shooting a final-round
Prior to this week, he was the very antithesis of a favorite, but by tomorrow, he is just that. Five shots ought to be more than enough if he can continue acting in the same manner as this week. He has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for a dozen consecutive years, making him a model of consistency.
“I’m proud of that,” he mentioned.
But since the start of the 2017–18 season, he has also had the most top-10 finishes (29), all without a victory, on the PGA TOUR. When asked why he hasn’t won a trophy, Harman admits that he doesn’t understand.
When asked if he could picture himself carrying the claret jug, he remained non-committal.
“No. You’d be silly, as I previously stated, to not plan forward, and I’ve been thinking about winning majors my entire life. It’s the main reason I put in the effort, practise as often as I do, and make the sacrifices I do.” he said.
“If that’s going to happen for me, it will be tomorrow. Golf has to be the main focus. Execution and simply remaining in the present are required.” he concluded.
