The Open live updates at Royal Portrush: Round three tee-times after Shane Lowry takes two-shot penalty and Rory McIlroy ready to ‘make a run’



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Gareth Hanna and Adam McKendry

Today at 12:43

World number one Scottie Scheffler begins the third round at The Open one shot ahead after a contentious end to Friday’s second round.

While Scheffler was shooting a seven-under-par 64 to sneak one shot ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick, his playing partner Shane Lowry was given a controversial two-shot penalty.

His ball appeared to move when he prepared to play his second shot on the 12th, which he said he did not see. He was told three holes later that it was under review and there would be a discussion to decide the outcome.

Ultimately, that was a two-shot penalty, which the player called on himself.

He said: “I didn’t see it but I had to take a penalty because I can’t have my name talked about or tossed around like that. It’s obviously very disappointing. It’s hard to take but I have to dust myself off and get out there tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is sit there and argue and not take the penalty and then get slaughtered all over social media tonight for being a cheat.”

Shane Lowry holes out on the 18th on Friday, before accepting a two-shot penalty

Paul Kimmage at The Open

Scheffler (-10) and Fitzpatrick (-9) tee off at 3.35pm, with Haotong Li (-8) and Brian Harman (-8) in the group behind at 3.25pm.

The first group tees off at 9.35am, while Shane Lowry (E) begins at 11.30am alongside Jon Rahm, while Rory McIlroy (-3) is off at 2.30pm alongside Jordan Smith (-3).

The local hope had kept his dream of a home Open Championship victory alive with a two-under par 69 to reach -3 this morning, before Scheffler put on his afternoon exhibition.

Follow along with all the week’s action right here on our blog:

Key updates

How much have you spent in the merchandise tent?

Getting the chop: Big names who have missed the cut 

Shane Lowry calls two shot penalty: ‘I won’t be called a cheat’

Rory says he can ‘go on a run’ to challenge this weekend  

‘GO ON BRYSOOON….. MY MVP!’

Two guys have been shouting that before every shot these last few holes. Got to admire their consistency if nothing else.

Their man gets pin high in two on the par five but his eagle putt pulls up a couple of feet short. 

Ooooo his birdie putt isn’t very MVP either as it misses left and he stays -2. A nasty three-roll. 

A birdie!

Yes, it’s a birdie for Maverick McNealy on, of all holes, the par-four 11th as he hits in a brilliant approach to six feet and holes the putt!
Fairways in regulation: 7/9
Greens in regulation: 11/11
Putts: 21
Birdies: 11
Pars: 10
Score: -1 (E for the tournament)

Quoted message

Maverick watch

Why not? This has the potential to be a special (yet boring) scorecard from the American.
Fairways in regulation: 6/7 (a miss to the left at the ninth!)
Greens in regulation: 9/9
Putts: 18
Pars: 9
Score: E (+1 for the tournament)

Shane’s stuttering stays

Even when presented with a par-five that most of the field have birdied so far, it’s just a par for Lowry who remains +1 for his round and the tournament having failed to pick up a shot all day.
Rahm does likewise. This group is flat, no matter how much the crowd try and pick them up.

Another Bryson bomb on 12

It’s the unhinged nature of his driving ecosystem that hooks the crowd, I think. His tongue licks out of his mouth mid-backswing as he gives that one the full message, 346 yards to set up a 175 yard second into the par five. 

Struggling Schmid

It’s been a really tough day for the German, who has had just two birdies in a round that has also contained three bogeys and three double-bogeys. The last man in the field last Sunday, through his finish at the Scottish Open, is now +8 for the tournament, four shots worse than anyone else and ELEVEN behind playing partner Corey Conners, who is still at -3 going down the par-four 17th.

Bryson not walking alone on 11

Former Liverpool duo Jason McAteer and Don Hutchison are following the American round as he sets up a gettable 15 footer for birdie, hitting it pin high on 11. 

Meanwhile, trouble for Kimsey as he goes left into the thick, thick stuff and can only move it a few feet. 

Edit: No golden sky finish to this hole for Bryson. He cuts a VERY frustrated figure as he hole-bound putt pulls up short. He needed one or two of those recent ones to drop ahead of the par five to continue a real run. 

Commentator’s curse

Of course, as soon as I mention the pair they go and bogey their next holes, Kanaya at the 13th and Svensson at the eighth, to fall back to -2. I’ve got to learn to wait before I post…

Quoted message

Two unlikely chargers

The two hottest men on the course? Nope, it’s not Bryson DeChambeau or even Henrik Stenson. No, that honour instead goes to Takumi Kanaya and Jesper Svensson, who are four-under-par thru 12 and seven holes respectively.
Sweden’s Svensson looks particularly well-placed to put together an impressive card as he’s spun off three straight birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh to go with another at the second as he hits -3, while Kanaya converts on the par-five 12th for birdie to reach the same score.
We may keep an eye on Svensson. He has a lot of time and a lot of gettable holes coming up to rack up a low score today.

First to -4

It’s Henrik Stenson, who looked to be in an awkward position short right of the par-five 12th green having misjudged his approach, but instead he plays a lovely bump-and-run up the hill and in tight for the easy birdie – his third of the day, along with an eagle – to get to -4 and into a share of fourth!

‘Jesus’

An involuntary prayer from a woman on the edge of the 11th tee box as her life flashes before her eyes while Bryson’s drive whistles away. It is a different noise of sheer power than his playing partner Nathan Kimsey.

It ends up 331 yards down the left edge of the fairway and 145 yards out into a gentle left-to-right breeze.

Low spirits

Shane Lowry cuts a really frustrated figure as he gives himself a good look at birdie on the par-three sixth with a fine tee shot to 13-feet but then can’t hole the putt, leaving it low to the right, and the look on his face says all you need to know. He remains +1 and with little to no momentum behind him, although he is headed onto the par-five seventh that has yielded eight birdies to the first nine groups.
Jon Rahm, meanwhile, with a fantastic up-and-down from right of the green to rescue a par and also remain +1.

Two unlikely chargers

The two hottest men on the course? Nope, it’s not Bryson DeChambeau or even Henrik Stenson. No, that honour instead goes to Takumi Kanaya and Jesper Svensson, who are four-under-par thru 12 and seven holes respectively.
Sweden’s Svensson looks particularly well-placed to put together an impressive card as he’s spun off three straight birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh to go with another at the second as he hits -3, while Kanaya converts on the par-five 12th for birdie to reach the same score.
We may keep an eye on Svensson. He has a lot of time and a lot of gettable holes coming up to rack up a low score today.

Well done that man! 

Just as he predicted, Bryson over-reads the break on a deceiving slope and it stay half a foot left. Remains -2.

Quoted message

‘I bet he misses it left’

The fans who have been standing round a green for a couple of hours tend to know more about the breaks than the players. DeChambeau crushes a drive down 10 and his approach is so close to perfection but it just falls short of hopping over the rise before the pin. Instead it sucks back to around 20 feet, up and down the slope, for birdie 

No Rahm-a at 5

There’s the birdie Jon Rahm was looking for as he capitalises on the short par-four fifth for his first birdie of the day and to get back up to +1 alongside playing partner Shane Lowry who can only par. The Offaly man really needs to rediscover the form he had from the last few holes of his second round, he almost seems stuck in quicksand right now.

Maverick watch

Why not? This has the potential to be a special (yet boring) scorecard from the American.
Fairways in regulation: 6/7 (a miss to the left at the ninth!)
Greens in regulation: 9/9
Putts: 18
Pars: 9
Score: E (+1 for the tournament)

Quoted message

Maverick by name, not so much by nature

This is a summary of Maverick McNealy’s round thus far as he holes out for par on the eighth.

Fairways in regulation: 6/6
Greens in regulation: 8/8
Putts: 16
Pars: 8
Score: E (+1 for the tournament)

Effective but not exactly thrilling golf, that’s for sure!

‘I bet he misses it left’

The fans who have been standing round a green for a couple of hours tend to know more about the breaks than the players. DeChambeau crushes a drive down 10 and his approach is so close to perfection but it just falls short of hopping over the rise before the pin. Instead it sucks back to around 20 feet, up and down the slope, for birdie 

Spieth spectacular!

It has to be something to do with players with a surname beginning with S because shortly after Henrik Stenson almost aced the sixth, Jordan Spieth comes within inches of getting the hole-in-one on the fourth as his tee shot bounces towards the hole… and misses it by only a couple of blades of grass!
Unfortunately, the hole is cut so close to the back of the green that its momentum means it skips on and through the green, so he’ll have a tricky putt back up the slope just to save his par. The new dad is still at level-par for the tournament after starting his third round with two pars.

Early bird

Scottie Scheffler doesn’t tee off until 3:35pm (i.e. in three hours’ time) and yet he is already on the premises having been spotted walking into the players’ clubhouse.
I’m usually lucky if I arrive three minutes before my tee time let alone three hours.

Bryson Meldrew

He can’t belieeeeeve it didn’t go on on 9. He swings his putter through the air as the putt fails to drop. He has got something going here and he knows it. Stays -2.

Maverick by name, not so much by nature

This is a summary of Maverick McNealy’s round thus far as he holes out for par on the eighth.

Fairways in regulation: 6/6
Greens in regulation: 8/8
Putts: 16
Pars: 8
Score: E (+1 for the tournament)

Effective but not exactly thrilling golf, that’s for sure!

Pars for Lowhm

I don’t think they’ll appreciate the power couple name but Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm both make routine pars on the par-four fourth to remain +1 and +2 respectively. Not much spark in this group thus far, despite the crowd roaring them on.

Shane Lowry holes out on the 18th on Friday, before accepting a two-shot penalty

Who is Rory McIlroy?


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