They say the British Open doesn’t start until tee time on Saturday (no one ever said that), but thanks to a series of bizarre Bryson DeChambeau-related events, it took a little longer this time around.
But once things start happening, they keep happening. Here are the highs and lows of Round 3 at Royal Birkdale.
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Winner: Game 9
It was the ninth tee time of the day, an early duo. Xander Schauffele and ryan fox He made 15 birdies in the morning beatdown at Birkdale. Schauffele shot a 4-under 66 in his usual weekend flurry at the majors, but still lost by four to Fox, who became the third batter this week and the eighth in major history to hit a 62.
“I was trying my best to ride the wave he was riding,” Schauffele said. He is now in T11.
“Honestly, I feel great,” Fox added. I hope so.
Loser: Fleetwood finish
Almost all Saturday afternoon tommy fleetwood Dream Charging has officially begun. Southport native Prince was 3 under par for the round and 7 under for the tournament, one stroke behind the leader. But he ran out of mojo on the descent, missing birdies on the par-5 return home and bogeying the 15th and 18th. Although he didn’t come out on top at 5 under, it was a meaningful and high hill to climb.
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(But it’s Fleetwood’s attitude that always wins.)
Winner: Rory vs. Bryson
Throughout the day Saturday, various players and experts gave their opinions. bryson dechambeau’s Friday night penalty. For the most part, they walked a delicate tightrope, suggesting he was being a little cavalier without making outright accusations. Max Homa felt that the sentence was harsh and that DeChambeau was “justifiably dissatisfied.” Shane Lowry felt it was legitimate and “the rules of golf” but did not want to say more. But Schauffele added: “To be honest, I don’t know.”
About Rory McIlroy?He didn’t hold back.
Regarding his initial reaction:
“I was watching it live. I was watching the game in the players’ lounge with a few other players, and as soon as he stepped on the ball, we all looked at each other and thought, ‘That doesn’t seem right.’
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“Then when we heard he was called by the rules guy, I think we all thought, it was obvious why. Yeah, I think he definitely improved the line of his backswing. Again, whether it was inadvertent or intentional, I don’t think it matters. I hope it was inadvertent, but I think the two-shot penalty was certainly justified.”
About DeChambeau’s Night Rules Review:
“It’s a late night for everyone. Yeah, look, I’m not going to sit here and pretend to defend Bryson. I don’t particularly like him. I think it’s mostly a performance thing. I think it’s for attention.”
“It didn’t seem like a great sight to have the tournament hostage like that, with players, volunteers and all of us waiting for him to leave.”
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This rivalry is real. That ranges from LIV vs. the PGA Tour, Pinehurst in 2024, Augusta National in 2025, Crypto.com Showdown, and more. It’s obvious that they like to compete with each other. And it’s abundantly clear that McIlroy “doesn’t particularly like” the big golfer. I tend to roll my eyes when people say it’s “good for golf,” so I’ll just say that this rivalry is good for me, and it’s good for me to enjoy these two top golfers and their fascinating characters.
Winner: Bryson’s putter (almost)
DeChambeau got off to a shaky start with a bogey on No. 2, then missed 3 feet on No. 9 and appeared to be stalling. But he recorded a series of testers on subsequent holes. He made a 6-foot par on the 10th, an 11-foot par on the 12th, a 6-foot par on the 13th, an up-and-down par on the 14th, a 7-foot birdie on the 15th, and a 10-foot birdie on the 17th. It’s worth noting that I typed this. He was about to hit a 9-foot short for par on the 18th.
He will start Sunday in sixth place at 6 under, but no previous major winner will join him in the top 10.
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Loser: Scotty’s Putter
When the world number one is doing a sarcastic fist pump, you know the situation pretty well.
Scotty Scheffler I continued to give it my all this week and that continued on Saturday. He couldn’t find the bottom of the cup.
Winner: The Unexpected Chasers
ryan fox The day started with T52 and ended with T2. Kim Si Woo He’s also T2, although he’s only finished in the top 10 once in nearly a decade of major performances. Two men playing their first British Open Championship — ryan gerard and jackson suber — is right there. lucas herbert and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen Rounding out the top ten.
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The second page of the leaderboard is filled with the biggest names in gaming. First page? It’s not the kind of people you would expect.
LOSER: The trackers you were expecting.
Going into Saturday’s third round, there was a group of top-ranked players lurking in the 4-under and 5-under positions, and most in the golf world expected them to finish at the top. Scheffler, DeChambeau, Fleetwood, Cameron Young, Jon Rahm, Robert McIntyre. Barnes (65) was the only one of that group to score higher than 69. Others fell at least a few spots off the leaderboard. Fleetwood and DeChambeau shot at 1 under. Scheffler and Rahm shot even par. McIntyre batted one over. Young shot 3 over par.
Only time will tell if they were just setting up a comeback on Sunday.
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Winner: Barnes rebound
We at Winners Losers HQ would like to congratulate Burns on being named Three Quarters Open Champion.
That’s obviously not real, but it’s worth shouting out how amazing it is that Burns made it this far. He’s trying to bounce back from heartbreak at the U.S. Open and last year’s U.S. Open, not to mention the birth of his daughter last week and the fact that he never expected to be here. Burns has a two-place lead at 10 under par, and his chasing group is not particularly experienced. he is in a good position.
Now comes the difficult part.
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