The Open: McIlroy plots repeat of 2022 six-shot miracle win over Scheffler... as Lowry goes low and Sergio snaps driver
Back. To. Back.
Shane Lowry has started to put some round together as he follows up the birdie on seven with another putt from the fringe from 20 feet for birdie at the eighth!
That's four birdies in his last six holes and the 2019 champion is back to where he started the week at E!
8 minutes ago
Watch: Sergio's snapped!
Sergio Garcia parred the first today to stay on level for the tournament but has snapped his driver out of frustration following a poor tee shot on the second. The Spaniard will now have to complete his final round one club short... as he's not allowed replace it. Oops!
Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X
Sergio Garcia snaps his driver in frustration after a poor tee shot on the second hole 😤 pic.twitter.com/rqWIdfnLbb— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025
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10 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Phil goes back-to-back!
The LIV golfer has carded his first under-par nine holes since the front nine on Thursday, making back-to-back birdies on seven and eight for a two-under 34 to climb to +3 for the tournament.
The Open on Twitter / X
Perfect pace. Pure precision.Mickelson magic. pic.twitter.com/BumyPkaVZ4— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2025
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16 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Hair today gone tomorrow
Young Fionn McFadden might be the biggest Rory McIlroy fan out here - and he has the haircut to prove it!
He's been following Rory all week but has come out this morning to track Shane before the leaders head out on course.
"I've had the hair for three days but I'll probably dye it back to normal tomorrow!" he grins.
18 minutes ago
Famous follower
Glentoran captain and Northern Ireland star Jess Foy is out following Shane Lowry as he delights the crowd once more and evokes a roar as he holes out for birdie from off the back of the seventh green for his third in three holes! He's back to +1!
34 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
International tournament
You forget just how popular this tournament is until you look at the crowd and see people wandering around in gear from all around the world, and one woman following the Lowry group is enthusiastically waving a Danish flag after every shot Jacob Skov Olesen hits.
"Lad os gå, Jacob!" she yells. Well, I don't speak Danish, but she yelled something and that looks like what it sounded like to me.
As we walk up to the sixth green, a woman passes us with a Norwegian flag looking to get a glimpse of Viktor Hovland in the group behind.
All on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Mad.
41 minutes ago
"Aw noooo"
Shane Lowry can hole out for birdie from 183 yards but he also can't from 19 feet as his birdie putt on the par-four fifth stays above ground.
You're always guaranteed a reaction from Lowry and he gives us one as he stays +2 after a disappointing bogey following a good drive.
Rory McIlroy beating Scheffler from six shots back? It's happened before...
I bring to you another story of hope on this fine Sunday morning.
It's late August 2022, and Rory McIlroy is going into the final round of the Tour Championship, six shots behind one Scottie Scheffler. The American has opened the week with rounds of 65 / 66 / 66. He's looking unbeatable.
Then on Sunday at East Lake, he opens with a bogey - and follows it up with two more at the fourth and the sixth. A birdie at eight gave him only a momentary reprieve, as he dropped a further shot at 16 to card a three-over-par final round 73. It was a day on which he hit just half the greens in regulations, and only slightly more fairways.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy followed up his Saturday 63 with a four-under-par 66 on Sunday to complete a seven-shot swing and win by one. McIlroy also started with bogey, but had carded four birdies by the turn to reel Scheffler in to just a single shot between them. Two birdies on the back (and one drop shot) was enough to get the job done.
After the tournament, Rory apologised to Scottie's parents, but received a gracious response.
'I'm sorry,' he said to Scott and Diane Scheffler. 'He deserves it. He's had an unbelievable year.' Scheffler's father repied: 'So did you. Good playing.' 'Congrats,' added Diane. 'Good job. Great job.' 'What a week, what a day,' stated McIlroy. 'I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of this. He's a hell of a competitor. It was an honour to battle with him."
So Scheffler may look rock solid this week so far, but he looked that way at East Lake in 2022 as well...
It's not quite over yet.
Rory McIlroy hails PGA Tour as 'best place to play' after shock £15m Tour Championship win at East Lake
Rory McIlroy has won the end-of-season Tour Championship for the third time in his career, with a sublime fourth round display.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
59 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Watch: Shane Lowry holes out from 183-yards
Lowry thinks he's scrambling just to make par on the fourth after he finds the fairway bunker off the tee and has to splash out... but he holes his third shot from 183 yards!
It wasn't quite as loud as Rory's on 12 yesterday but that was a roar from the crowd to wake you up on a Sunday morning!
Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X
Shane Lowry with a BRILLIANT 183-yard chip-in at the fourth 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zKIdthLIB9— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025
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Today 08:40 AM
Gareth Hanna
Big names coming up on first tee
The grandstands at the first are filling up again this morning and the crowds will have plenty of familiar faces coming through in the next three groups. Jordan Spieth (+1) is up first with Liverpudlian Matthew Jordan (E) alongside Francesco Molinari (+1) following on, and Sergio Garcia (E) playing with 1997 champion Justin Leonard after that.
Steady on Shane
Shane Lowry proving that the par-three third is definitely a birdie chance as he takes aim, goes straight at the pin that's tucked behind the mound on the left... and sticks it to a foot! Kick in birdie, back to +3!
In the group behind, Viktor Hovland has received the luckiest break I have ever seen, pulling his approach shot into the par-five second well left (as in a good 20 yards left), but it clangs off the scoreboard by the green and back into the fairway!
Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X
Nearly a hole-in-one on Sunday morning for Shane Lowry ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/ENQZ9wurLt— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025
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Today 08:24 AM
Adam McKendry
Shane's struggles continue
The par on the first was a solid way to start for the Irishman but he's in trouble on the second despite driving it straight down the middle. He's yanked his second shot into the fescue down the left and his first chip doesn't have the mustard on it and rolls back into the rough.
The follow-up chip is good and should be enough to secure the par, but he can't convert the short putt and the crowd sighs as he drops back to +4 early doors.
"F**k sake," Lowry fumes. The crowd laughs. He doesn't.
Today 08:13 AM
Gareth Hanna
Some Bryson-spotting, anyone?
Bryson DeChambeau reveals famous north coast landmark he's planning to visit during his time at Royal Portrush
Golfing giant Bryson DeChambeau was looking forward to a 'fun' experience visiting the Giant's Causeway after shooting a three-under-par 68 in his third round at Royal Portrush.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Today 08:11 AM
Gareth Hanna
The day's first birdie on the board
It's a bit of a par-fest out there in the early groups, just one bogey and now one birdie on the cards. It's come for world number 31 Andrew Novak at the first, draining a 13-footer down the slope to the centrally-placed pin.
Today 08:03 AM
Shane on his way
The 2019 champion is teeing off a lot earlier on Sunday this time around than he did six years ago, which will frustrate him, but the Offaly man says he's going to make a point of enjoying himself today so this could be a fun round to go and watch. He's just teed off alongside Denmark's Jacob Skov Olesen, who shared the lead after day one, and it looks like the bulk of the early morning crowd are going to be tagging along with him.
Can he at least make a charge up the leaderboard and secure a strong finish? He hasn't finished better than 42nd in the Majors this year but hopefully he can improve on that today.
Today 07:57 AM
Holey moly
Another look at the stats on which hole the players are struggling with and which holes they're making hay on.
The toughest and easiest holes are unchanged from yesterday, with the 14th causing all sorts of problems playing 0.338 strokes over-par this week, while the short par-five 12th is comfortably the easiest hole on the course as it has only crept closer to the half-a-stroke under-par mark at 0.463 strokes under-par. It's the definition of a par-four-and-a-half.
There's some small changes in the rankings below that, with an easy pin position on 11 yesterday moving it to third in the list below the fourth in the toughest hole rankings, with the first and 16th swapping in fourth and fifth.
On the easiest side, the par-five seventh played downwind which led to more eagles on Saturday, so it leaps up to second in the rankings above the par-five second, with the driveable par-four fifth and downhill par-four 17th staying put at fourth and fifth in the rankings respectively.
Toughest holes
1. 14th, Par-4 (+0.338) SAME
2. 4th, Par-4 (+0.259) UP 1
3. 11th, Par-4 (+0.249) DOWN 1
4. 1st, Par-4 (+0.230) UP 1
5. 16th, Par-3 (+0.228) DOWN 1
Easiest holes
1. 12th, Par-5 (-0.463) SAME
2. 7th, Par-5 (-0.280) UP 1
3. 2nd, Par-5 (-0.249) DOWN 1
4. 5th, Par-4 (-0.136) SAME
5. 17th, Par-4 (-0.081) SAME
Today 07:51 AM
Gareth Hanna
Honest Matt as Scheffler's record is ominous
You have to respect Matt Fitzpatrick (-9)'s honesty here. He's saying what every other player in the field is thinking as Scottie Scheffler holds a four shot lead going into today's final round.
Scheffler has never blown a 54-hole major lead, though. All three of his wins have come after being atop the board on Saturday night.
2022 Masters: Led by three / won by three after shooting -1
2024 Masters: Led by one / won by four after shooting -4
2025 PGA Championship: Led by three / won by five after shooting level par
Christopher Powers on Twitter / X
Todd lewis asked Matt Fitzpatrick what he's expecting from Scottie Scheffler tomorrow 'Well, hopefully a blowup.'We respect an honest 👑 pic.twitter.com/fRR4lb7dnb— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) July 19, 2025
Today 07:43 AM
Adam McKendry
Today 07:29 AM
Adam McKendry
We are officially under way
For the second straight day, Germany's Matti Schmid hits the opening tee shot of the round and with that, day four of The Open Championship is officially under way!
Today 07:09 AM
Time for a birdie-fest?
Here are today's hole locations.
Now I am no pro, so I certainly wouldn't be firing at any of these pins, but it really does look like some of these flags are very gettable today. Are we in for some low scores as a result?
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