American Billy Horschel’s short game blossomed today as he missed eight greens the back nine, yet he still held a one stroke lead over six players in the (British) Open at Royal Troon—the fourth and last major of the year—after three rounds with a four under par total of 209.
But it wasn’t easy. The renowned foul weather for the British links blanketed the famed Royal Troon Golf Club in the late afternoon, affecting mostly the tournament’s leaders. Players were covered up with their rain suits and umbrellas to stay dry as 15 mile-per-hour winds swept in with rain.
Thirty-seven year old Horschel, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, has not performed that well in golf’s four majors, with only two top ten finishes in 42 major championships played. But I think he has the kind of game and grit that could get the job done tomorrow to remain at the top and kiss the Claret Jug, especially if the same weather holds. Horschel generally is an excellent ball striker who can keep the ball low, under the wind, a much-need skill in most Open links venues.
Irishman Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champ, held a two stroke lead starting the day. But a double bogey on the 8th hole and a string of bogies early in his back nine left him at one under par total, three shots back of leader Horschel.
American Scottie Scheffler, the #1 golfer in the world, is two strokes behind leader Horschel as Scottie tries to win his seventh tournament this year. Today, he was paired with Si Woo Kim. On the 17th hole, a treacherous 237-yard par three, Kim used a metalwood as he struck his ball into the teeth of the wind. It landed short of the green and rolled into the hole for the tournament’s first hole-in-one. Then Scottie Scheffler immediately followed by almost duplicated the feat. His tee ball came close to the hole and nestled two feet from it.
With Scheffler’s recent success in pro golf, he is the most prominent professing Christian on the PGA Tour. Both him and his best friend, Sam Burns, are regular participants in the weekly PGA Tour Bible Study, which Yours Truly cofounded many moons ago. Sam Burns is in that six-way tie for second, one stroke behind.
The Open displayed its true character this afternoon, presenting foul weather and some nasty pot bunkers that can drive the best of minds a bit crazy. For example, English qualifier Daniel Brown was leading the tournament late in the back nine. Yet on the long par four 18th hole, he had to extricate his pellet from one of those bunker with their steep slopes by aiming his shot well left of the pin just to get out of that sand pot and onto the green.
With the leaders bunched so tightly in this oldest of major championships, the 152nd, if the poor weather continues it could be anyone’s game to gotten tomorrow.
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