Brian Harman begins his victory charge at the Open amid heavy rain at Hoylake, as the American looks to defend a five-shot lead over Cameron Young in the final round
Brian Harman has begun his final round of the Open, as he looks to defend a five-shot lead at a very rainy Hoylake.
The American has made it to 12 under par after an impressive first three rounds, with Cameron Young his nearest challenger at seven under.
He first stormed ahead by shooting a classy 65 in the second round, and held his nerve yesterday despite a surge from Masters Champion John Rahm.
The Spaniard is one shot behind Young after a bogey-free 63 on Saturday.
It was a magnificent effort from Rahm, who began the day two over before wrestling his way into contention with the best round of golf at the Open since 1987.
Brian Harman has begun his final round of the Open with a five point lead
John Rahm sits third after hitting the best round of golf at the Open since 1987 on Saturday
It is still Harman’s Open to lose, but Rahm’s charge has kept the field closer than many expected on Saturday morning.
Local favourite Tommy Fleetwood (-5) is just about in the hunt, and sits level with Rory McIlroy after the Northern Irish golfer picked up two birdies in the first four holes of his final round.
Harman fought back well in the third round as he hit back-to-back birdies after a wobble earlier in the day that saw included two bogeys.
‘I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life,’ he said at the end of the round.
‘It’s the whole reason I sacrifice as much as I do. Tomorrow if that’s going to come to fruition for me, it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.’
Cameron Young sits second at six under par but will need Harman to make mistakes if he is to have a chance of catching him