Open Championship: American Billy Horschel edges ahead after Shane Lowry sunk by ‘coffin’ bunker nightmare
By Jack Bantock, CNN
(CNN) — Billy Horschel will carry the slenderest of leads into the final 18 holes of the Open Championship in Scotland, as the American capitalized on Shane Lowry’s grisly slide to edge clear in a rain-soaked third round.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner navigated a testing Royal Troon in two-under 69 to edge clear by a stroke but will have to hold off a chasing group of six players in his rearview mirror to clinch his first major title.
A closing bogey put a dampener on what had been another strong showing from Horschel, who tore out of the blocks with four birdies across his first nine holes.
The 37-year-old has often struggled at the Open – missing the cut in six of his previous nine outings – but continues to impress amid brutal wet and windy conditions that sent half of the world’s top-10 ranked players tumbling towards an early exit.
“I’ve wanted to be here my entire life. I’m finally here. I’m embracing it,” Horschel, whose career best major performance was a tied-fourth finish at the 2013 US Open, told reporters.
“Something I’ve done this year … is manifest seeing myself holding the trophy before I go to sleep every night, envisioning myself holding that trophy on 18, walking out to the crowd and being congratulated as Open champion.
“That’s what I’m going to do again tonight, and hopefully that comes true tomorrow. If it doesn’t, then I’ll get back on the grind and work harder to get back in a position like this again.”
A bunched chasing pack sets the stage for a grandstand finish, with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, American trio Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Xander Schauffele, as well as English pair Justin Rose and Daniel Brown just one stroke behind Horschel’s four-under par benchmark.
World No. 272 Brown had looked on course to take a shock lead into Sunday after birdieing the 16th hole, only to finish with a bogey and a double bogey that resigned him to a two-over 73.
Regardless, the 29-year-old – who had to go through final qualifying just to stamp a last-minute ticket to his major debut this week – sits within striking distance of what would be a truly stunning sporting upset.
“I suppose a lot of people probably thought I was going to be shaking this morning and really nervous, but I’ve been absolutely fine,” Brown, who clinched his first victory on the European Tour last year, told reporters.
“After the last two holes it’s a little bit of a kick in the teeth, I suppose, but if you’d have told me I was going to go into the final round of the Open one or two shots back, I would have ripped your hand off.”
‘Coffin’ puts Lowry’s hopes in grave danger
Brown’s playing partner Lowry had carried a two stroke advantage over the Englishman into the weekend and started confidently, but was sent into a tailspin after the pair both found the infamous “coffin” bunker from the eighth tee.
While Brown managed to exit the sand relatively smoothly to leave the “Postage Stamp” hole with bogey, his Irish counterpart put himself in even greater trouble when he pulled his escape effort into the thick rough beyond the green.
The 2019 champion had rebounded superbly from a double bogey at 11th hole during the second round, but could not channel the same response on Saturday, signing off with his fifth bogey of the back nine for a 77.
Having taken a three shot advantage to the eighth tee, the 37-year-old will start the final round three strokes adrift of leader Horschel, and one back from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who shot even-par 71 to stay in contention for a second major title of the season.
“This game is just hard, and now you feel how hard it was for playing well the first two days in those conditions. Honestly, it was brutal,” Lowry told reporters.
“The 8th hole was killer really, make par there, and you can still shoot three or four-over from there and still be leading the tournament.
“I don’t really know what to say. It was a grind. It wasn’t much fun.”
Lowry will tee off alongside Australian Adam Scott at 1:45 pm local time (8:45 am EDT) Sunday, with leader Horschel and Lawrence the last group out at 2:25 pm (9:25 pm EDT).
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