There isn’t a sport that can humble the best players quite like golf can. And for Rory McIlroy, the golf gods just haven’t been on his side lately.
McIlroy took some time away from golf after his brutal collapse at the U.S. Open, returning refreshed last week for a fourth-place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. But The Open Championship at Royal Troon is a different animal. The course — combined with unfavorable elements — can wreak havoc on even the best golfers.
It got so bad for McIlroy on Thursday that he essentially played himself out of contention in the opening round. McIlroy shot an abysmal 77, putting him at seven-over par and tied for 133rd. No moment summed up his day quite like the bunker shot on the eighth hole, known as “The Postage Stamp.”
Royal Troon is claiming victims at The Open Championship.
Awesome example of what happens in these bunkers. You can make an easy bogey, but if you want a par you often need to take a big risk.
McIlroy played his shot out of the bunker only to watch the ball reach the edge of the green and roll right back where it came from … in the bunker. A true boomerang shot at the worst time.
McIlroy settled for a double bogey on the hole, and it honestly could have gone worse. Still, there won’t be any bounce-back performance in a major for Rory. U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau also had a rough go on Thursday, finishing at five-over par. So, at least there’s that for Rory.
Harman had turned professional in the late 2000s but never became a household name. More importantly, he wasn’t winning majors like he and, assuredly, many of his peers had dreamed about when they were younger. All that’s in the rearview mirror now, as Harman can keep and relish the Claret Jug in his home for the next year.
When a reporter with Sky Sports asked Harman about his feelings on finally breaking through, his response was absolutely perfect and eminently relatable:
"Better late than never. I've thought about this my whole life."
Aww, man. How can you not be happy for a guy like that finally getting his well-deserved shine? Winning a major golf tournament is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports, and he achieved it.
While not by his choice, Harman took the long way to earn one, and it seems the arduous path was worth it.
Brian Harman just had an Open Championship win to remember at a rainy Royal Liverpool. Not only did the veteran golfer win his first-ever major, he also did so by winning a dominant six strokes over Sepp Straka in second place. Per ESPN, he’s the first American golfer to win The Open by at least six strokes since Tiger Woods … over 20 years ago!
Congratulations if you’re one of the lucky few who saw Harman prevailing. If you’re licking your wounds and getting your bearings, rest assured — you’re not alone.
Entering Sunday, Brian Harman had a chance to earn quite the career milestone. The American golfer had a sizable lead in The 2023 Open Championship and simply had to maintain it to win his first-ever major. Never mind his pre-swing waggle and the counter established to joke about it, Harman was clearly the golfer to watch.
He added to this when he unveiled his umbrella that, for some reason, had several pairs of gloves attached to the interior.
I understand the idea of having options and switching around, but this was such a strange (and funny) place to store his other, er, many choices.
Brian Harman is leading the 2023 British Open after three rounds. He is not the only Dawg in the mix
Former Georgia Bulldogs golfer Brian Harman is leading the 2023 British Open after 54 holes. Harman enters Sunday with a five-stroke lead and a score of 12-under.
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Brian Harman has the best shot of any player at winning the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, but he is not the only former Bulldog with a crack at the final men’s major of 2023.
Sepp Straka is also in the mix at the Open Championship. Straka is at five-under and is tied for fourth place.
Brian Harman entered Saturday with a five-stroke lead. He had some early bumps in the road, but managed to maintain his lead thanks to a solid two-under day.
Brian Harman plays his shot from the 18th hole during the third round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Liverpool. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The 151st Open Championship will feature a $16.5 million purse. Brian Harman will have a great opportunity to be the winner of the final major of the year and take home $3.0 million.
Brian Harman has a chance to win his first career major. It would be a massive career leap for Harman. What does Harman think of having a chance to win a major?
You’d be foolish not to envision, and I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life. It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practice as much as I do and why 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.
Harman has won two career PGA Tour events, but has remained consistent throughout the years. He has made the FedEx Cup playoffs for 12 consecutive years.
Harman is set to tee off in the final round at 9:15 a.m. ET.
Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart wished Brian Harman and Sepp Straka good luck ahead of their final round:
There was a popular storyline coming into the 2023 Open Championship, the brand new par-3 17th at Royal Liverpool.
It’s short — it played 126 yards on Thursday and 132 yards on Friday — but devilish. If players are off by just a few yards, big scores can come into play. Just ask Lucas Herbert, who made a triple-bogey six during the first round.
Well, the tough shortie wasn’t too difficult for Travis Smyth on Friday as he canned a hole-in-one.
Smyth was coming off a bogey at the par-4 16th and was 3 over for his round.
He walked off the 17th green 1 over and with a memory he’ll have for a lifetime.
For the first time in nine years, all eyes are on Royal Liverpool for the 2023 Open Championship.
The last time we were in Hoylake, Rory McIlroy became the 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year after outlasting Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. McIlroy, who finished third at St. Andrews last year, is coming off a stellar win at the Genesis Scottish Open, battling tough conditions down the stretch and birdieing the final two holes.
Cam Smith enters the week as the reigning champion thanks to his come-from-behind victory over McIlroy at the Old Course.
Before the action gets underway Thursday morning, here are Golfweek‘s picks to win and a few sleepers to keep an eye on.
Smith pocketed a cool $2.5M and looked great doing so, rocking his Original Penguin apparel.
Though they don’t get as much fanfare as some other apparel brands on the PGA Tour, Original Penguin, owned by Perry Ellis, has been making fun and unique golf shirts for more than 60 years.
“We congratulate Cameron for winning the 150th Open in a stirring come- from-behind record setting fashion,” said Oscar Feldenkreis, President and CEO of Perry Ellis International. “We are proud to have Cameron, with 10 career worldwide victories and a major, as an Original Penguin brand ambassador.”
We’ve already taken a deep dive inside Smith’s Winner’s Bag but now we get to open up the champion’s closet and see how Cam Smith dressed for success at the 2022 British Open.
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy said winning the 150th British Open would be his Holy Grail. He’s 18 holes away from making history with his fifth major win and ending a nearly eight-year drought at the major championships.
But first, he will have to separate from Viktor Hovland, who is attempting to become the first Norwegian to win a major. Paired together in the third round, they shot matching rounds of 66 at the Old Course to share the 54-hole lead at 16-under 200.
“Yeah, that was pretty cool,” Hovland said of the back-and-forth battle for the lead between him and McIlroy. “Probably not going to forget that one too quickly. No, I played great, but it was also cool to trade some holes with Rory as well.”
McIlroy poured in five birdies, a lone bogey and a one-in-500 hole-out eagle at No. 10.
“It was skill to get it somewhere close, but it was luck that it went in the hole,” McIlroy said. “You need a little bit of luck every now and again, especially in these big tournaments. And that was a nice bonus.”
The 33-year-old McIlroy broke the birdie seal with a pair of circles on the card at Nos. 5 and 6 and tacked on another at the ninth for a splendid outward nine. Then he crushed a 334-yard tee shot at 10 that caught a greenside pot bunker. His hole-out eagle was the shot of the day, and even Hovland took a moment to acknowledge it.
“That’s just a filthy bunker shot. So you just kind of have to go, hey, that was a sick shot,” Hovland said. “When things like that happen, you just kind of have to give each other a fist bump and say good shot.”
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy plays his ball from close to the wall on the 17th hole during his third round on day 3 of The 150th British Open Golf Championship on The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland on July 16, 2022. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
McIlroy wasn’t as fortunate when his drive at 17 stopped in the left rough and his second shot came out hot and bounded over the green, through the sand, rolled over the road and bounced back off the wall. Due to his ball being in a divot, he hit a low punch for his third that found the putting surface, but it resulted in his lone bogey of the day and dropped him back into a tie for the lead with Hovland. McIlroy didn’t waste any time returning to 16 under for the tournament by making a birdie at the last to shoot his second 66 of the championship.
While McIlroy eyes adding to his major glory, Hovland is in contention for the first time at one of the big events and noted that The Open is the first major he grew up watching and that being at St. Andrews would be extra special.
“I don’t think there’s any other place that would top it,” he said. “To win a major that’s closest to home, that would be really cool.”
After the round, Hovland was asked if he had a moment during the round where he thought to himself, this is where he intended to be his entire life.
“I was thinking what the hell am I doing here?” Hovland said, breaking into laughter. “Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty crazy from where I grew up and so far away from playing the PGA Tour, European Tour, for that matter major championships. Just to be here is very special, but to have a chance to win one is – yeah, I have to pinch myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to hold back tomorrow.”
If the 24-year-old Hovland were to claim the Claret Jug, it would mark the first time that the four majors were all won by players under 30.
Hovland climbed the leaderboard by making four straight birdies on the front nine starting with a 38-footer at the third hole and following it up with a 42-footer at the fourth. He made a short birdie putt after McIlroy’s hole-out eagle at 10 and a two-putt birdie at 18 in posting a bogey-free 66 and setting up a rematch with McIlroy on Sunday in the final pairing.
Cameron Smith reacts after missing a putt on the 7th green during the third round of the 150th Open Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Their closest pursuers, who trail by four strokes, are third-round leader Cameron Smith (73), whose putter cooled off and made a round-ruining double bogey at 13 after a poor drive, and Cameron Young (71), who hung tough but made his own back-nine double bogey at 16.
“The golfing gods were not with me today,” Smith said.
But might they be with McIlroy this week? Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley suggested the stars finally may be aligned for McIlroy, who said he’s finished off enough golf tournaments in his time that he’ll know what to do tomorrow, to sip from golf’s Holy Grail.
“I see so many things coming together,” McGinley said. “I just feel that the golfing gods have got something good in store for Rory McIlroy.”
Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland will tee off Sunday four clear of the field.
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – There are a lot of things one can learn spending the day – and the evening – in this ancient seaside village.
Three of the four seasons can come for a visit. Hearing the sounds of golf spikes hitting concrete throughout the city puts a smile on your face. If you can’t find a suitable pub or restaurant, you’re in the wrong city.
And The Old Course in the middle of the Auld Grey Toun is a never-ending puzzle that has stood the test of time and continues to baffle the best players in the world. This week in the 150th Open Championship is just the latest example proving that.
Here are some things to consider heading into Sunday’s final round in the chase for the Claret Jug.
