TROON, Scotland — Winter made a brief visit to the west coast of Scotland Saturday afternoon and stayed just long enough to cause several eliminations and crashes along the shores of Troon, wreaking havoc on the leaderboard and setting up a potentially fun final day at the British Open.
It was a day to take shelter and enjoy indoor activities, not to try to navigate a historic course that turned brutal in windy and wet conditions that left a group of golfers tired, soaked and battered in the twilight light of Royal Troon.
So it looks like Floridian Billy Horschel is in the lead.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner, who has only twice finished in the top 10 at major championships, emerged victorious after taking advantage of the conditions to shoot a 2-under-par 69 and post a 4-under-par 209.
He leads six players who finished on 3 under par, including South African Thriston Lawrence, who started 18 groups and 3 hours and 10 minutes ahead of the final pair of Shane Lowry and Daniel Brown and shot 65. Lawrence might as well have been playing in the Caribbean, such was the difference in conditions.
Sam Burns also shot a 65 and was 15 groups ahead of the leaders. They played in much easier conditions and took advantage of it.
Lowry, the second-round leader at 7 under par, shot a 77 to drop to 1 under par but still just three shots back.
“It’s going to take me a few hours to recover today,” Lowry said. “It’s tough because I felt like I played some incredible golf today. I missed the first fairway and then I didn’t miss the next one until 16. I hit some great iron shots, but I didn’t make putts early when I had the chance, and then I missed a couple of putts for par.”
“On the way there, I felt like I couldn’t make par. Obviously, it was difficult.”
Tied with Lawrence and Burns at 3 under par are Russell Henley, who started 12 groups ahead of the leaders, then those who played in the toughest conditions: PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele, who shot 69; 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, who shot 73; and Brown, the new major entrant who had a 73 after making bogey-double bogey on the final two holes.
Masters champion and No. 1 ranked Scottie Scheffler is one shot back at 2 under par after a 71.
“I remember a couple of days with really strong winds that could have been more difficult, but overall the last nine holes were probably the toughest I’ve ever played,” Scheffler said. “I shouldn’t say never, but it’s definitely the toughest I’ve played so far. … It was really, really tough.”
Scheffler needed a 3-wood off the 238-yard par-3 17th hole. Lowry and Brown both hit drivers. Scheffler said he needed a driver and a 3-wood to reach the 502-yard par-4 15th hole. And he failed.
“I mean, 18 is probably the best example where I hit a good driver and a really hard 3-iron,” Scheffler said. “I hit that 3-iron really low and as hard as I can, and yesterday, Jordan (Spieth) hit a driver there and had 30, 40 yards to the front edge. There was a 160, 170 yard difference in length off the tee, between his drive yesterday and mine today.”
“It was pretty wild out there, but I did a good job of sticking with it.”
It was so crazy that players who seemed out of contention now have a legitimate chance to win. Lawrence, Burns and Henley are the easiest examples, one shot behind.
But Adam Scott, who shot a 77 on Friday, shot a 66 and is tied for 10th, just four shots behind. Justin Thomas, who shot a 45 on the first nine holes on Friday, shot a 67 and is also tied, four shots behind.
“It was super tough,” said Rose, who like Brown had to go through final qualifying to qualify. “I didn’t really expect it, to be honest. I think I talked the first two days about preparing for that south wind. I saw it coming. I trained with that in mind. Today, I didn’t expect it. I saw it was going to be southwest, maybe a little westerly, with a little rain in the afternoon.”
“Obviously, the way the guys played this morning, I felt like it was going to be a day where we could pick up a point, and it turned into a real test of survival. I think I did a good job of surviving. Overall, I’m happy to look at these standings and say I’m one point behind tomorrow.”
Horschel, 37, is in the field because of his 2021 victory at the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship. After winning the Memorial in 2022, he had a tough time a year ago, struggling so much that he couldn’t get below 80 at the tournament he was defending.
He later learned that the lofts on his irons were incorrect and it took him some time to resolve the issue. He was not at the Masters this year. A tie for eighth at the PGA Championship was only his second top-10 finish in a major, the other being a tie for fourth at the 2013 U.S. Open.
“It was by far my best round in difficult conditions at an Open Championship,” said Horschel, who for most of the round did not have a rain jacket and wore his cap backwards to avoid the raindrops distracting him.
“We played five par 5s on the back side, not even counting No. 16. It was a tough course today. I knew just going into the back side that it was going to be hard work no matter what. You have to find a way to fight and score a point.”
Horschel opened his round at 2 under par and played the first nine holes with four birdies to shoot 32. He shared the lead when Lowry double-bogeyed 6 at the postage stamp, par-3 8th, where he found one of the dreaded bunkers.
That seemed to change the course of the tournament. Lowry had gotten to 8 under par with a birdie on the fourth hole, but after the double he failed to make another birdie. He made five bogeys on the final nine holes.
“Yeah, this game is just tough,” said Lowry, who won the 2019 Open in the rain. “Honestly, it was brutal.”
Horschel, for his part, loved it and took advantage of the opportunity he was given on Sunday.
“I’ve worked my whole life to be in this position,” Horschel said. “Listen, I’ve been in the lead many times going into the last round. Obviously, it’s a major. It means a little bit more. We all know that. We know what it means to everybody. I know what it means to my legacy in the game of golf and what I want to do and accomplish.
“But I’m glad to be here. I always wanted to be here. I’m finally here. I accept it.”
Sunday’s weather shouldn’t be so daunting. But a leaderboard full of players who could score a number is more problematic. There are 12 within four shots of the lead, a nice mix of situations made possible by a British winter blast in mid-summer.
A pitcher of Claret awaits whoever comes out.