Billy Horschel Takes One Shot Lead Into Final Day Of The Open As Shane Lowry And Daniel Brown Fall Back In Brutal Weather Conditions

Billy Horschel will take a one shot lead into the final day of The Open Championship after a blockbuster day of action at Royal Troon.

Heavy rain and high winds set the stage for an immense back nine that saw all of the leaders fight to get into the clubhouse whilst avoiding the big numbers on the scorecard.

Overnight leader, Shane Lowry, had a day to forget with a double bogey on the famous Postage Stamp hole unnerving the 2019 Open champion on his way to shooting a six-over-par score of 77.

Along with Lowry, playing partner Daniel Brown held the solo lead on the 18th tee, but a double bogey on the final hole meant he finished the day at three-under, one back from Horschel.

Justin Rose would card an impressive two-over-par 73 to finish the day at three-under, while Xander Schauffele's two-under-par 69 was arguably the most impressive round of the day in the worst of the conditions. The PGA champion will also begin Sunday one shot behind Horschel alongside Sam Burns, Russell Henley and  Thriston Lawrence at -3.

Burns, Henley and Lawrence all shot low in the early part of the day, with relatively benign conditions allowing them to fly up the leaderboard before the worst of the weather arrived at Royal Troon.

Lawrence caught fire on the front nine, carding six birdies on his opening nine holes to vault up the leaderboard on his way to a six-under-par 65. Burns also shot 65 in the calmer conditions having only made the cut by three shots - he'll be in the penultimate group alongside fellow American, Russell Henley, following his 66.

Finally, Scottie Scheffler continues to lurk behind the leaders at two-under, with the World No.1 well within striking distance ahead of what should be a Sunday to remember on Scotland's West coat.

The Open leaderboard

Welcome to the weekend at Royal Troon. We've got a thrilling day ahead where there's rain forecast.

Will Shane Lowry extend his lead or will the 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year be caught?

TODAY'S WEATHER FORECAST

PLENTY OF SUPPORT FOR SCOT BOB MacINTYRE who is in action

After making the cut with a barnstorming comeback yesterday, MacIntyre has delighted the Scottish fans by picking up another couple of birdies today in benign conditions to reach the turn at -2 for his round and +3 in total.

MAX HOMA CONTINUES TO PROGRESS UP LEADERBOARD

American Homa finished his second round in style with a lengthy birdie putt on the the 18th last night to make the cut on the +6 number. He has continued that momentum today with two more birdies to get to +4.

IM'S the man on the front nine

Sungjae Im completed the front nine in five-under-par. He chipped in on the 9th to record the best front nine of the week of 31 and is now at one-over for the Championship after three successive pars on 10,11 and 12.

TODAY'S PIN POSITIONS

ADAM SCOTT HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH THE OPEN

Adam Scott,44, is one of the most consistent pros on tour and he has stated he still has unfinished business with the Open after blowing up at Lytham in 2012 when Ernie Els won following the Australian's late collapse. Scott has made a decent move today and is +1 in total after reaching the turn in -4 today.

Matteo MANASSERO continues to make progress

Manassero, who won the silver medal at the Open as the low amateur in in 2009, is back on the rise after a spell in the doldrums. He is now +2 for the tournament in total after successive birdies at the second and third today. He is also on the par 5 fourth in two where he can make further gains as he gets his third straight birdie.

BAD START TO BACK NINE FOR MACINTYRE

After a two-under front nine, local favourite Bob MacIntyre is back to +5 again after bogeys on the 10th and 11th.  He has then found the green side bunker of the 12th with his second and it doesn't take an expert lip reader to work out Bob is cursing. He does however avoid a third successive bogey after a brilliant bunker shot.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER ARRIVES AT TROON

Reassuringly, Scottie Scheffler has just arrived at Royal Troon and stepped out of a courtesy car from the rear passenger seat. No repeat then of the fiasco at the US PGA Championship which ended up with the world No.1 in a jail cell.

American John Catlin catches the eye with fine start

Catlin is one of the players on the course who has made the most of benign conditions on the front nine to get to -4 through seven holes to get back to even for the tournament. He then got up and down from the sand on the Postage Stamp to impressively save par.

Cameron young back competing again

Young, who came runner-up at the 150th Open at St Andrews, is still searching surprisingly for his first PGA Tour win. He is -1 through three holes and +3 for the tournament so a very long shot for the Claret Jug unless his erratic putter catches fire.

MACINTYRE OVER THE BACK OF THE 14TH

MacIntyre has stopped the rot with successive pars and given his huge support more to cheer about. He hit a decent shot into the par 3 14th but it rolled over the back from where he will hope to get up and down with his fantastic short game which he does to stay +3 in total.

Shubhankar SHARMA providing plenty of entertainment

Sharma, from India, has made seven birdies today and is -3 for his round and back to +3 in total.

BATTLE FOR THE SILVER MEDAL IS HOTTING UP

American Tommy Morrison is +9 in total after finishing with four birdies in his last five holes. Spaniard Luis Masaveu is also +9 with two holes left. Norway's Jacob Skov Olesen is at +4 but he is on the course at the tenth with the tough back nine to negotiate.  Out in front is Calum Scottwho  is +2 in total after six holes today.

Thriston LAWRENCE makes promising start

DP World Tour viewers will know Thriston Lawrence has plenty of game with the ability to shape the ball and keep it low in the wind. The South African is -4 after five holes today and -1 in total.

FINE ROUND FROM IM WHO CARDS A 66

Sungjae Im is in the clubhouse at +1 after a superb 66 having finished with a lengthy birdie putt at the last. His playing partner Shubhankar Sharma is just a shot back on +2 after a thrilling round of 67 with eight birdies. These two must have been worth following for fans at Troon.

JUSTIN THOMAS IS ON A HOT CHARGE

Justin Thomas is a streaky player and he is on a streak right now. He is the first player to move into the red today after making his fifth birdie of the day on the eighth to move to five-under for the day and one-under in total. He now has to save par at the ninth after missing the green on the right but he gets up and down.

ADAM SCOTT DROPS HIS FIRST SHOT ON THE 15TH

Scott has had a superb round with five birdies but he has just dropped his first shot on the 15th with a bogey after missing a short putt and is back to +1 in total for the tournament. John Catlin has also dropped a shot on the back nine and is +1 in total too.

Thriston LAWRENCE and JUSTIN Thomas the only two in the red

Just two players are in the red numbers under par at the moment - Lawrence and Thomas. JT has just turned for home on the 10th where he has negotiated a par to stay -1 in total while Lawrence is -5 for six holes and -2 in total now after a fourth successive birdie at the 6th.

MACINTYRE Provides plenty of drama on the 18th

Leftie MacIntyre has just played a right-handed shot from the side of a bunker for his second shot on the 18th. Bob, the local fans' favourite, is +1 for the day and +6 in total. His approach missed the green on the right where he reverts to playing left-handed and stiffs his chip. He signs for a 72 and is +6.

CAMERON YOUNG ESCAPES FROM THE POSTAGE STAMP WITH A PAR

Cameron Young is +2 in total after reaching the turn in -2 which included this gutsy par on the eighth.

THOMAS NEGOTIATING THE BACK NINE SO FAR

Thomas, who is -1 in total, has turned for home and just made par at the tough 10th and 11th. While Lawrence is -5 after seven holes and -2 in total and has just reached the Postage Stamp. The South African is now in a tie for fourth.

LAWRENCE MEANS BUSINESS WITH BIRDIE ON POSTAGE STAMP

That is first class from South African Lawrence, who is fourth on the leaderboard now and up to -3 in total after a birdie on the short par 4 eighth. He is -6 for eight holes today. Fantastic.

TAKE A BOW Si Woo KIM WHO HAS JUST HAD A HOLE IN ONE

Si Woo KIM has just aced the penultimate par 3 17th which is 238 yards long. He is now +5 in total.

THOMAS' ROUND KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER

Justin Thomas continues to climb the leaderboard after getting to -6 for the day now with a birdie on the 12th. He is -2 in total and into a tie for fifth. His new putter seems to be paying dividends as he is seventh in strokes gained on the greens this week. Meanwhile Lawrence remains -3 in a fourth after reaching the turn in -6.

FIRST BOGEY OF THE DAY FOR JT ON THE 13TH

Thomas has dropped his first shot of the day with a bogey on the 13th after going over the back of the green. He is now -1 in total and -5 for the day.

Lawrence turns for home after crushing the front nine

Thriston Lawrence has just turned back towards the clubhouse after completing the 10th with a par four. He remains fourth with a -3 total and -6 for the day. He then tees off on the tough 11th with the railway line down the right and finds the middle of the fairway impressively on the toughest hole on the golf course before teeing up a birdie putt with his approach.

CONDITIONS JUST STARTING TO DETERIORATE AT TROON

It has just started to rain at Troon as the skies darken and the breeze starts to pick up. It could help bring a lot of players back into the mix and prevent the leaders, who are yet to tee off, from getting away from the pack.

"One or two under would be a decent score today" for the leaders

So reckons Adam Scott when asked about what the leaders should be aiming for when they go out and hit what is expected to be the worst of the weather later on today. Scott was speaking after his round of 66 which is left him in as a clubhouse leader at present, and in T16 position.

Thomas finding back nine harder

He was out in 31 with five birdies, but his inward nine nine has three holes still to go and he has only added one more birdie and has just made his second bogey in three holes.

Lawrence seven under par on first 11 holes

He has made birdie on seven holes and par on the other four. He has moved up to fourth position.

Burmester starts his third round

He finds the middle of the fairway. Burmester was the leading LIV player after round two, and he tees off today in T5.

With 18 players in the tournament, this is LIV’s largest representation at any of this season’s Majors, and the majority of them have made it through to the weekend.

Those who have qualified alongside Dean Burmester are Joaquin Niemann, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Adrian Meronk, Laurie Canter, John Catlin, Andy Ogletree, Phil Mickelson and Abraham Ancer.

Those who missed the cut were Tyrrell Hatton, Sam Horsfield, Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson (+8, T93); Bryson DeChambeau (+9, T100); Cameron Smith (+12, T133) and David Puig (+13, T136).

Si Woo Kim has been talking about his hole in one

"It was between a 3- and a 2-iron so my caddie told me to hit it as hard as I can with a 3-iron."

It is the longest hole in one recorded in the Open Championship, at 238 yards, and is the only known hole in one at the 17th in the last five Open Championships at Royal Troon.

Lawrence puts a bogey on his card on 13

That is his first dropped shot of that round and he goes back to six under for the day. He was wayward off the tee, but so much so that his second shot was from off the trampled down spectator area. But he was unable to find the green on the 478-yard par 4, and ended up leaving himself an 11ft par putt.

Lowest score to par in a round at Royal Troon is 8-under, which was achieved by Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson in 2016.

Lowry gets a huge ovation on the first tee

He acknowledges the applause and has a huge grin on his face as he goes to shake the starter's hand. He is holding umbrella over himself as he does all this. It's getting wetter.

Justin Rose finds greenside bunker on 1st

He was playing his approach from 123 yards out. He starts his third round as he finished the second day – tied in second place.

Schauffele Makes birdies on 2nd and 3rd holes

Xander Schauffele is now T4. He was one of only two men coming into the tournament with top-10 finishes in the three previous Majors. He now stands as the only one capable of being in the top 10 of all this season’s Majors as the other chap was Bryson DeChambeau, who has not qualified for the weekend after shooting +9 over the first two days.

The leaders open their third round

Neither will be that happy with their tee shots...

Thomas completes his round

It was a round of two halves, Brian: 31 out, 36 in for a 67. Scott and Im have the lowest scores today, with 66,

Rose drops a shot on the first hole

He is now third.

Brown, too, drops a shot on the first hole

Rose is now back up to joint second. Brown had a tricky lie on the edge of a fairway bunker. Standing in the bunker to play the ball at about knee-high, he hits the ball over the back of the green.

Lowry makes par on the 1st and is now three shots ahead.

Henley moves into a share of second

He does so courtesy of his sixth birdie in 12 holes. He has moved up 16 places from the start of play and is now three shots off the lead.

Brown holes 24ft birdie putt on 3

He is back to level par for the round having gone bogey-par-birdie. He is also back into solo second spot.

Rose birdies 4th

He does so despite missing the fairway with his second shot but his chip from trampled-down-by-spectators rough from 68 yards out is a peach.

Rose and Brown are playing some scruffy golf whereas Lowry is looking in full control of his game at the moment. But these are still early days.

Lawrence is the clubhouse leader

He is round in 65 today, the best third round so far. He has moved up 23 places today and is -3 for the tournament and T5 at present. As conditions are getting trickier, the South African looks handily placed for tomorrow and could well enter it even better than T5.

Low Amateur

There is a competition-within-a-competition for the Low Amateur, the winner receives a silver medal. Four amateurs have made it through to the weekend, and this is where they stand after their third rounds:

Calum Scott (Scotland) +3
Jacob Skov Olesen (Denmark) +6
Tommy Morrison (USA) +9
Luis Masaveu (Spain) +13

Schauffele on the rise

He has three birdies in his opening eight holes including a tap-in one on the Postage Stamp where he hit his wedge tee shit to within a foot. He is now T3.

Royal connection

I get all sorts of strange emails from PR people, normally about sports or subjects I do not write about. But one that puzzled me in the past few days was addressed to me personally about how I cover the royal family so would I be interested in speaking to their client who is an expert on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Quite why this PR got so confused so as to believe I was a royal correspondent rather than a sports journalist and novelist had me puzzled. Then I guessed it must be some algorithm picking out that I wrote an article recently entitled What Makes A Golf Club Royal? This commission was prompted by Open being at Royal Troon. Troon was awarded Royal status for its 100th anniversary, in 1978, incidentally, the most recent club in Britain to receive this honour.

The Open has a lot of Royal connections. It is run by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which was the second golf club to be awarded royal status, by William IV, and it is played over a rota of courses which include many Royal clubs: Liverpool (awarded royal status in 1871), Portrush (1892), St. George’s (1902), Lytham & St. Annes (1926), Birkdale (1951) and Troon (1978).

Sam Burns round in 65

He opened both nines with a bogey, but had seven birdies in his first 12 holes. The final third of his round was all pars bar a birdie on the par-5 16th. He is -3 for the tournament and lies tied sixth.

Thomas up and down and up again

Did Billy Horschel play the dressing up game as a child?

He is certainly varying is outfit today. Sometimes it's cap on right way round, sometimes backwards. He wears a waterproof top between shots, but takes it off to swing in but not to putt in. It all seems to be working out well for him as he has three birdies in his first seven holes.

Back-to-back birdies for Brown

He is now one shot off the lead. His birdie on 7 is certainly unconventional as he played his second shot from somewhere near the 8th green. But from 101 yards out he gets it to 4ft from the pin. It is not always conventional how he is getting around the course today, but he is showing a lot of character.

Brown and Lowry both find Coffin Bunker on 8

Neither can have a shot at the pin from where the balls are.

Lowry double bogey; Brown bogey

Brown plays first from the bunker, after Lowry marks his ball, and finds and holds the putting surface. The ball finishes 18ft from the pin.

After some debate with a rules official as to what his caddie can do in terms of raking the bunker, Lowry plays and the ball runs down from the back of the green into rough. He chips to within 6ft but cannot make the putt.

We now have a three-way tie for lead - these two being joined by the quick change artist Billy Horschel.

Joint leader Horschel was out in 32

He put birdies on his card at 4, 6, 7 and 9.

Henley complete his round in 66

He is at -3  and so is joint clubhouse leader with Lawrence and Burns.

LOWRY RESPONDS ON THE 10TH

From the left rough, Lowry is fortunate to draw a good lie.

He begs for his mid iron to "get down" as he fears a flier, and it does - rolling out to around 8ft. He'll have a great look for birdie as playing partner Brown struggles to make par after finding a tough lie in the rough off the tee.

LOWRY MISSES ANOTHER BIRDIE PUTT AS BROWN BOGEYS

Another chance for Lowry is missed as his 12ft birdie putt on the 10th slides and misses low, much to his frustration.

He makes a safe par nonetheless, while playing partner Brown drops a shot after failing to hole his putt from off the side of the green.

He drops to -5 and out of a tie for the lead.

LOWRY AND BROWN FIND THE SAFETY OF 11TH FAIRWAY

Arguably the toughest tee shot of the day back into the wind and blind, both of the final group find the short grass off the tee on 11.

SCHAUFFELE HITS BEAUTY ON 14 AS ROSE PARS 11

After a stellar two-putt from distance on 13, Xander rips a long iron into the long par 3 14th to around 14ft, leaving a great look at birdie.

Behind on the 11th, Justin Rose fist-pumps as his short par putt drops.

LOWRY ALMOST TOPS APPROACH SHOT ON 11

Wow.

A shocker by Shane with long iron in hand as he almost tops his approach shot from 230 yards on 11.

He's ok though, and around 40 yards short of the green in the first cut.

Daniel Brown decided to lay up just short of the front of the green on the par 4 which is dead into the wind.

SCHAUFFELE MISSES BIRDIE TRY  ON 14

No birdie for Xander on 14 and it slides left of the hole from 12ft.

WEATHER SET TO IMPROVE AT TROON

The radar looks like the wet weather will depart Troon potentially within the next hour, while reports on the ground suggest it brightening up already.

LOWRY BOGEYS AND FIST-PUMPS

Feels like Lowry is hanging on at the moment.

He hits a poor pitch to 40ft and then a poor putt, leaving himself a sliding 6ft putt for bogey which he makes.

No such stress for Brown, who makes a comfy par from the front of the green.

PARS FOR HORSCHEL AND ROSE ON 12

Rose makes a comfy two putt from around 30ft, while Horschel's 20ft birdie finished less than an inch from the cup - he thought he'd holed it.

INTERNET LOVES DANIEL BROWN'S SMOKING

It seems Daniel Brown is prone to the odd cigarette on the golf course, no matter the occasion.

WHAT A SHOT BY BROWN ON 12!

Brown fires one at the flag from 160 yards, finishing around 12ft from the hole with a great look at taking the solo lead of The Open.

Lowry spins his approach off the side of the green and has work to do for his par.

BROWN BIRDIES, TAKES LEAD

Daniel Brown's last eight results:

MC

MC

WD

MC

MC

MC

MC

T61

He's leads The Open after birdie on 12.

LOWRY BOGEYS

Shane is rattled and misses a 6ft par putt after his playing partner birdied.

He needs to be careful or he could play himself out of the tournament with the way he is playing.

BURMESTER BOGEYS 14

A poor tee shot right of the green leaves a tricky up-and-down for the South African on the par 3.

He misses a 6ft putt for par and drops to -1.

ROSE AND HORSCHEL PAR 13

Two really gutsy pars for the two men in the penultimate group, particularly from Horschel who missed the fairway off the tee. He held a 12ft putt to save dropping out of solo second.

ICYMI: BROWN'S BIRDIE ON 12

This is how Brown claimed the solo lead of The Open.

He's in trouble on the 13th though, having to pitch out of the right rough after a wayward tee shot. He has around 15ft for his par.

BOGEY FOR BROWN

The lead is now -5 as Brown bogeys the 13th. He's tied for the lead with Billy Horschel, as Lowry cleans up for his par on the same hole.

TWO MORE PARS FOR ROSE AND HORSCHEL

A fabulous up-and-down from Horschel on 14 from the left bunker means he stays tied for the lead.

Rose had a chance to join him at -5, but his 30ft attempt for birdie slid narrowly past the hole.

SCHEFFLER MISSES SHORT PAR PUTT

Scottie's putter is ice cold and he pays the price, missing a 5ft par putt on 15.

He drops to -1.

GREAT BREAK FOR BROWN AS HE SAVES PAR ON 15, LOWRY BOGEYS AGAIN

Brown misses so far left on the 14th he ends up on the path to the 14th tee.

From the clean lie he plays a wonderful chip to gimmie range.

Lowry hasn't made a putt all day, dropping another shot after he misses a six footer for par.

SCHAUFFELE FINDS FAIRWAY BUNKER ON 18

Xander will have work to do to get into the safety of the clubhouse with his current score of -4 protected.

TWO MORE SENSATIONAL PARS FROM ROSE AND HORSCHEL

With the final holes playing dead into the wind, almost all of the par 4s on the back nine are essentially playing like par 5s.

Horschel and Rose make two more pars on 15, which will no doubt feel like birdies.

LOWRY HITS DRIVER, DRIVER INTO 15, REMAINS 30 YARDS SHORT

Only at The Open do we get this sort of golf, and it's wonderful.

Lowry finds the fairway off the tee and is forced to hit driver off the deck with his second shot which was 267 yards and dead into the wind.

He remains short of the green after two shots on the par 4!

SCHAUFFELE BOGEYS 18, FINISHES -3

Disappointing way to finish, but a successful day for Xander nonetheless as he shoots 69 on a brutal day three at Royal Troon.

LOWRY BOGEYS AGAIN

He was -8 at one stage, now Lowry is -2 with three holes remaining.

He's second last in the field today in putting.

BROWN PARS 15

Gutsy, again, from Brown.

He escapes from the 5th with par after holing a 6ft putt.

THE BEST PHOTOS FROM DAY 3 AT TROON

Spare a thought for the cameramen (and the players) on a wet, windy and memorable day at Royal Troon.

OUTRAGEOUS SHOT BY SCHEFFLER ON 17 LEADS TO BIRDIE

3 wood to gimmie range for the world no.1!

HORSCHEL MAKES ANOTHER IMPROBABLE PAR

From a plugged lie up against the face of the bunker on 16, Horschel almost holes out for birdie!

BROWN POISED FOR BRIDIE ON 16

Brown hits a beauty from 140 yards with his third into the par 5 16th hole - he'll have a great look to retake the solo lead and jump to -6.

BROWN BIRDIES, TAKES SOLO LEAD

What a round from this man, yet again!

The 6ft putt drops and Brown takes the solo lead of The Open with two holes to play of his third round.

ROSE BOGEYS 17

It's only his forth bogey in 46 holes, but Rose drops a shot on 17 to fall to -3.

Horschel doesn't make the same mistake as he heads to the 18th tee at -5.

SCHEFFLER SHOOTS 71

Scottie heads to the warmth of the clubhouse at -2 after a par on the final hole, carding a level par 71.

Considering the conditions, a damn good score.

HORSCHEL AND SCHAUFFELE DEFY THE ODDS IN ROTTEN TROON CONDITIONS

Billy Horschel and Xander Schauffele today: -5

The remaining players from the final 10 groups: +60

Jaw dropping. Horschel is safely on the 18th green but is a hell of a long way back.

LOWRY AND BROWN MISS GREEN ON 17 WITH DRIVER!

17 is a par 3, by the way.

Lowry and Brown both find the bunker short left of the green.

BOGEY FOR BROWN, PAR FOR LOWRY

A long par putt FINALLY drops for Shane Lowry, who stays at -2.

Playing partner Brown has to settle for bogey and gives up his solo lead as a result.

HORSCHEL BOGEYS 18

Billy fails to scramble from left of the green, but will begin tomorrow at -4 after a stunning 69 on Saturday.

ROSE MAKE PAR, POSTS GUTSY 73

Watching Rose and Horschel today was a joy, and you can tell they enjoyed battling it out in the elements together.

Rose fist pumps as a 6ft par putt drops for him to post a +2 round of 73, a great score in the conditions. He'll begin tomorrow at -3.

LOWRY IN GRANDSTAND, BROWN IN BUNKER ON 18

The final group are making a mess of 18. Lowry slices one into the grandstand right of the green, but he can still make par after a free drop.

Brown is in the green-side bunker in three and will have work to do to only drop the one shot.

BOGEY FOR LOWRY ON 18, SHOOTS 77

Lowry finishes the day at -1 on a day the putter let him down.

Disappointing for the Irishman who cards 77 on the third day of The Open.

DOUBLE BOGEY TO END THE DAY FOR BROWN AS HE SHOOTS 73

Brown drops three in his last two holes, but it's still a really impressive 73 for the Yorkshireman.

He misses out on the final group tomorrow but is right in the mix to win the Claret Jug tomorrow evening.

DAY THREE CONCLUDES WITH BILLY HORSCHEL HOLDING A ONE SHOT LEAD

Who predicted this before the start of play today?

An enthralling day of golf at Royal Troon comes to an end, but we have one more day of potential mayhem to look forward to tomorrow!

Thank you for following along and check back in here tomorrow for live updates of the final day of The Open.