Billy Horschel Tops Leaderboard at The Open

Billy Horschel leads by one shot in a dramatic third round at The Open held in challenging conditions at Royal Troon, despite battling the worst of the rain. Billy Horschel managed a two-under-par 69, moving to four under overall. English golfers Justin Rose and Dan Brown trail by one stroke with both at three under par joined by Xander Schauffele.

South African Thriston Lawrence and Americans Sam Burns and Russell Henley are also one stroke behind Horschel after posting impressive scores before the rain intensified. Lawrence, Burns and Henley all capitalized on the calm conditions early in the day with Lawrence and Burns shooting 65 and Henley 66.

World number one Scottie Scheffler sits at two under following a 71, reflecting on the round as “probably the hardest nine holes I’ve played,” particularly noting the difficulty of the 238-yard 17th and 502-yard 15th holes.

Despite the tough conditions, Rose, who is aiming to become the first Englishman to win the Claret Jug since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992, expressed satisfaction with his performance. He described the round as a “survival test” and was pleased to be just one shot behind the leader.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who led after the second round, struggled significantly, shooting a six-over 77. His round included a double-bogey on the eighth and five bogeys on the back nine. However, Lowry remains in contention at one under par with more rain expected for the final round.

Brown, who led after day one, faltered in the final holes, bogeying the 17th and 18th to drop out of the lead. Despite the disappointment, he remains positive about his position going into the final round. With six major champions in the top ten including Adam Scott and Justin Thomas, the final round promises an exciting conclusion.