What they said after Round 3: Hear from The Open’s leaders at Royal Liverpool
We wrap up what some of the key contenders have had to say following their third rounds at The Open
It was Moving Day at The Open and there was certainly plenty of that as Jon Rahm broke the course record, Alex Fitzpatrick’s breathless 65 fired up way up the leaderboard, and Brian Harman and Tommy Fleetwood went head-to-head in the final group.
Here we wrap what some the major performers thought of their third rounds following another thrilling day at Royal Liverpool…
The Open Round 3: What the leading players said
Is patient play bringing the rewards for Brian Harman?
Brian Harman admitted he was proud of how he “hung in there” as he kept a big lead at the 151st Open Championship.
“It would have been really easy to let the wheels start spinning and let it get out of control,” he said.
“I doubled down on my routine. I knew I was hitting it well, even though I hadn’t been hitting good shots.
“Staying patient out there is paramount. Sometimes it is a lot harder than other, but I am really proud of the way I hung in there. The start was tough, hit some loose shots, but it was nice to turn it around and have a nice back nine.”
Read the full piece: Brian Harman ‘really proud’ after tricky Open third round
Tommy knows it’s all down to Brian
Tommy Fleetwood knows what’s needed to win The 151st Open, but he also knows it’s out of his hands.
The Englishman carded a 71 to stay on 5-under par, seven shots adrift of the runaway leader Brian Harman who looked imperious on day three at Hoylake.
“It’s very frustrating now, but in time over the course of tonight, I’ll look at the positives of what were and try and move on to tomorrow,” he said.
“It really is down to Brian,” he added. “Take him out of it, two away from the next best contender, so you go out, play well, and shoot the best score of the day, then you know there’s one person that’s left. That’s the way you’ve just got to look at it.”
Read the full piece: Shoot 63 and leave it to Brian! Tommy Fleetwood needs giant turnaround for Open glory
Rahm delighted with best-ever 63 but says he’s not finished yet
Jon Rahm’s 63 has set a new scoring record at Hoylake. But the Spaniard unsurprisingly isn’t that interested in numbers.
“I would rather win three times and never shoot 63,” he said following his third round charge.
“It is my lowest round on a links golf course, my lowest round in an Open Championship. Also, the lowest round shot on this course. It feels really good, but there is a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
Read the full piece: ‘I would rather win three times’ – Jon Rahm looks past the numbers after incredible 63
A Claret Jug for Alex Fitzpatrick? The thought hasn’t crossed his mind
Alex Fitzpatrick hasn’t considered winning The Open at Hoylake, but a Saturday-65 shot him into contention among a list of the world’s finest players.
“I’m not familiar with this environment and the number of people out here, but I and my caddie had a great time out there and things went our way, which was super cool,” he said.
The Challenge Tour member is in the thick of things heading into Sunday, but isn’t allowing himself to dream of a fairytale win just 13 months after his brother’s memorable week at Brookline.
“It hasn’t even crossed my mind, to be honest,” he said. “Even after the round today, I’ve thought about when I saw my name on the thing about being in contention.
“Winning the Claret Jug would obviously be a dream, but there are a million top players who are still ahead of me and still have got a lot of holes to play.”
Read the full piece: Alex Fitzpatrick’s Claret Jug dream ‘hasn’t crossed his mind’ after day three 65
What did you think of the third day at The Open? Let us know with a tweet.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
