His drive on the 10th hole had landed in trouble, but not deep, stopping in the middle of the sand trap that defends the front of the green. McIlroy had room to swing freely, and his second shot flew over the edge of the bunker, bounced three times and then rolled a few more feet into the cup for eagle. The 27-yard masterpiece gave McIlroy a one-shot lead over partner Victor Hovland. “It was skill to get it anywhere close,” McIlroy said. “But it was luck that it went into the hole. You need a little luck every now and then, especially in these big tournaments. And that was a nice bonus.” It was the kind of pleasant surprise that can make the difference between winning or losing a major championship, and Hovland got a bonus of his own Friday when he came up short from 139 yards for eagle on the par-4 15th. But Hovland, a 24-year-old Norwegian who excelled at Oklahoma State before turning pro in 2019, didn’t let McIlroy enjoy the lead alone for long. He quickly reeled in McIlroy with a birdie at the 10th that put them both on par at 15, and then they dueled on the back nine of golf’s most historic course. McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, was certainly the crowd favourite, but Hovland, a forceful presence, did not shy away from the challenge. They finished with matching rounds of 66 and a share of the lead at 16-under par that put them four shots clear of the chasing pack led by American Cameron Young and Australia’s Cameron Smith, who are both 12 under and going on Sunday. . Of the top four men on the leaderboard, only McIlroy, 33, is already a major champion, but the most recent of his four wins came in 2014 when he won the British Open at Royal Liverpool. Since then, he has experienced many disappointing Sundays. “Nothing is given to you, and I have to go out there and earn it, like I’ve earned everything else in my career,” he said. Other major champions are also in line. Scottie Scheffler, the American who won the Masters in April and is ranked No. 1 in the world, is at 11-under, tied with Kim Si-woo of South Korea. Dustin Johnson, a two-time major winner from the United States who recently switched to the breakaway LIV Golf Series, is alone at 10-under 71 on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick, the Englishman who won this year’s US Open, is on 9-under with Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, and Tommy Fleetwood. But if McIlroy and Hovland continue to shine under pressure as they did on Saturday, they may not allow the pack many opportunities to close the gap. “There’s a lot of things that can happen,” Hovland said. “In those conditions and those pin placements, you can play well and shoot par, and then that brings in a lot of other guys as well.” Fair weather is forecast for Sunday, with moderate winds and temperatures in the mid-70s. That could mean more than the low scores that have been the norm in St. Andrews in this 150th edition of the Open Championship. Several players put on a good show on Saturday, including Shane Lowry, who made back-to-back eagles on 9 and 10, and Kevin Kisner, who barely made the cut but had the best round of the day: 7-under 65 which put him in a tie for 13th place. “It’s just a fun place to walk around and play golf, and when the shots come in, it makes it even more enjoyable,” Kisner said. That seemed an apt summation of a good day at many golf courses, but success on the Old Course continues to hold special significance even when the world’s best golfers do it. McIlroy is well aware of what a win on Sunday would mean for him and his crowd — perhaps too self-consciously. “I love that I have so much support,” she said. “But at the same time I’ve got to stay in my own little world tomorrow and play a good round of golf and hopefully that’s enough.” It wasn’t enough to get rid of Hovland in the third round. Both started the day at 10-under and in the penultimate group, ahead of second-round leader Smith and first-rounder Young. Hovland hit a torrid pace early, making four birdies, starting with a 38-foot birdie putt on 3 and a 42-foot birdie putt. from the sand on No. 10 and another birdie on No. 15 that gave him back the outright lead. But he couldn’t hold on as Hovland bogeyed him at the 17th, reaching par while McIlroy had to settle for bogey. At 18, they finished the unforgettable round as they had started it, bound and in high spirits. “We fed off each other and navigated the last few holes well,” McIlroy said. This was pure competition, but not a grim fight. There were fist bumps and smiles and plenty of chatter throughout much of the round. “I talked about a lot of things,” McIlroy said. “He talked about the shoes. He talked about what he has been doing for the past two weeks. He returned home to Norway. After that he will return to Norway. I just kept it nice and relaxed.” McIlroy may be nine years older, but he and Hovland have developed a good relationship after playing (and losing) on the same Ryder Cup team for Europe last year. But although they will be together again on Sunday, they are no longer teammates. McIlroy is trying to end an eight-year drought by winning at the ultimate Open venue. Hovland is trying to become the first Norwegian to win a major. “It’s pretty crazy where I grew up,” Hovland said. “I have to pinch myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to hold back tomorrow.”
