Shane Lowry suffered in brutal conditions but Pádraig Harrington believes he can still win his second Claret Jug after horrific weather sent scores soaring for the later starters at Royal Troon.
The Offaly man started the day two clear of the field on seven-under-par but after going three shots clear with a birdie at the fourth, he double-bogeyed the short eighth after finding the Coffin bunker, then bogeyed the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 18th to slip three shots behind leader Billy Horschel heading into today’s final round.
He made a clutch 20-footer for par at the 17th to remain on two-under but drove way right at the 18th, then put his second in the grandstand on the right but pitched to 30 feet after getting a free drop and two-putted for another bogey to card a six-over 77 that left him ninth on one-under.
Horschel carded a brilliant, two-under 69 to lead by a shot on four-under from South African Thriston Lawrence (65), Americans Sam Burns (65), Russell Henley (66) and Xander Schauffele (69) and English pair Justin Rose (73) and Dan Brown (73).
Scottie Scheffler was alone in eighth on two-under after a 71 with Lowry a shot further back after one of the toughest days in recent Open history.
Harrington had a chance of getting to the fringes of contention in heavy afternoon rain after he raced to the turn in two-under.
But while he came home in two-over and carded a 71 that left him outside the top 20 on three-over, he was still backing the Offaly man to make a final-round challenge.
“Shane just has to realise that no matter what happens today he will have a great chance of winning tomorrow afternoon,” Harrington said.
“So as tough as it gets on the back nine, if he plays it great, then he will have a lead, and if it eats him up in some way, he will still have a chance tomorrow afternoon.
“I would love to be in Shane Lowry’s shoes at this moment.”
Ireland’s Shane Lowry collects his ball from the stand on the 18th
Lowry was playing the eighth as Harrington spoke but he double-bogeyed there before dropping shots at the 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th.
Thriston Lawrence (65), Sam Burns (65), Russell Henley (66) and Xander Schauffele (69) set the clubhouse target at three-under-par as Lowry toiled, especially with the putter.
He moved three clear of Dan Brown and Justin Rose on eight-under when he made a 15-footer at the fourth.
But he found the Coffin bunker left of the Postage Stamp eighth and made a double-bogey five after going through the green, missing a nine-footer for bogey.
As a result, he found himself in a three-way tie for the lead on six-under with Brown and Horschel, who turned in an immaculate four-under 32.
Brown bogeyed the 10th, however, and Horschel the 11th to leave Lowry alone at the top on six-under.
With the west wind blowing into the players at the 502-yard 11th, Lowry got a break when his 234-yard approach headed left towards the gorse but hit an on-course commentator on the leg.
“In the future, don’t stand in the middle of the f**king fairway when we’re trying to hit, OK?” Lowry said.
He came up 40 feet short with his 62-yard pitch and did well to make a seven-footer for bogey to fall back into a three-way tie for the lead with Horschel and Brown on five-under.
A hole later, he was tied for third with Schauffele and Rose, two behind Brown, who birdied the 12th from five feet to lead by a shot from Horschel on six-under.
Lowry three-putted from the fringe from 35 feet, missing a five-footer for par, before Brown bogeyed the 13th to fall back into a tie for the lead with Horschel on five-under.
Lowry was hanging on for dear life but bogeyed the 14th after taking three to get down from just over the green, then dropped another shot when he hit a driver off the deck at the 15th and caught a cross bunker.
Brown birdied the 16th to lead by a shot from Horschel on six-under but bogeyed the 17th to fall back into a tie with Horschel on five-under, two clear of Burns, Lawrence, Henley, Schauffele and Rose.
Before the rain came in, the crowd got a chance to cheer the first hole in one of the week at the 238-yard 17th where Si Woo Kim holed a three-iron for his first ace in a major to card a level par 71 that left him on five-over.