Summary

  • Full coverage of day three of the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush

  • World number one Scottie Scheffler holds four-shot lead at -14

  • China's Haotong Li will partner him after closing at 10 under par

  • A level par round of 71 leaves Matt Fitzpatrick at -9

  • Rory McIlroy shoots five-under 66 to finish at -8, alongside Tyrrell Hatton

  • Defending champion Xander Schauffele of USA closes at -7

  • England's John Parry makes hole-in-one at 13th

  • Full leaderboard

  • Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

  • Highlights of round three available from 20:00 BST - UK only

  • Get involved: #bbcgolf, text 81111 or WhatsApp 03301231826

Live Reporting

Paul Higham, Phil Cartwright, Joe Bradshaw, Ros Satar and Henry Cowling

  1. Bye for now

    That's it for day three of The Open. One more round to go.

    Join us from 13:00 BST on Sunday for live text and radio coverage, plus in-play video clips of the best moments, as the Champion Golfer of the Year for 2025 is crowned at Royal Portrush.

    'Special player' - Scheffler takes control of The Open

  2. Leaderboard

    -14 Scheffler

    -10 Li

    -9 Fitzpatrick

    -8 McIlroy, Hatton, Gotterup, English

    -7 Schauffele

  3. Watch the shots of the third round

    This is such a great picture of Justin Rose.

    If you want to see what got him so excited on the 18th, then whack the play button and soak up the best of today's action.

    Rose, McIlroy & Scheffler star in shots of the day

  4. Scheffler tends to increase lead on final day

    Scheffler -14 (67)

    Anyone thinking Scottie Scheffler going to let this four-shot lead slip tomorrow?

    History suggests not, as his major record when holding the 54-hole lead is imperious.

    As the graph below shows, he's actually stretched his lead when ahead after three days.

    Scottie Scheffler's record when holding 54-hole lead: 2022 Masters 3 and final margin 3, 2024 Masters 1 and 4, 2025 US PGA 3 and 5

  5. Scheffler 'easy to root for' - English

    Scheffler -14 (67)

    American Harris English has had some lovely words to say about Open leader Scottie Scheffler:

    "He's unbelievable. I call Scottie a friend. I've known him for a good while since his amateur days.

    "I'm just so impressed with his work ethic. Number one in the world for I don't know how many weeks, but he works harder than anybody I've ever seen.

    "He's got a great system. Just his belief and he works like he's never going to play in another major championship ever again. It's really impressive.

    "Just a great guy overall. He's easy to root for. I can't say anything bad about the guy. It's impressive to watch and what he's doing is incredible."

  6. Scheffler 'by far the best in the world' - MacIntyre

    Scheffler -14 (67)

    Scottie Scheffler at The Open 2025Getty Images

    Bob MacIntyre has been talking about Open leader Scottie Scheffler:

    "He's by far the best player in the world.

    "I remember the start of this year, I asked a stats guy to look at all the stats to see how close we are to the world number one. He stopped after a couple of stats and went to number two instead. Scheffler was further ahead of number two in the world than wherever I was to number two.

    "He's an exceptional player and a great guy. He works so hard."

  7. Brilliantly boring, or just brilliant?

    Scheffler -14 (67)

    Open ChampionshipGetty Images

    There's a lot of 'boring' labels floating around about Scottie Scheffler just because he's made things look ridiculously easy at Royal Portrush this week.

    But boring? Nope, not having that - he was simply brilliant today, lashing huge drives, striping pinpoint irons, executing superb escape shots and draining putts.

    We saw him dig out a shot from a bush at one point and also blaze a whopping drive 382 yards, is that boring golf? Didn't think so.

    What we are seeing is a golfer who makes tough shots look easy, who has found that one ingredient that even the best golfers in the world search for but seldom find - consistency.

    Scheffler is a genius and it's a pleasure watching him operate at such a level at a major championship, and if he does go on to win the Claret Jug on Sunday just enjoy the ride, as we could be witnessing the game's next great winning machine just adding to his legacy.

  8. Hatton -8 (68)

    'Mamma Mia!' - Eagle for Hatton

    This was Tyrrell Hatton's best moment of the day.

    And it was one of 15 eagles out there in glorious conditions at Royal Portrush.

  9. 'I don't feel like I've played my best golf'

    Hatton -8 (68)

    Tyrrell Hatton at The Open 2025Getty Images

    Tyrrell Hatton has been talking about his chances tomorrow after carding a 68 to take him to eight under:

    "Going into tomorrow, we're still six shots behind so it's a long way back. So far I'm in a decent position. I don't feel like I've played my best golf, even though I've hit a lot of greens I haven't been that close to the hole. So it's been hard to hole putts. That side of it has been a bit frustrating for me, hopefully tomorrow I can play a bit better."

    On earning Ryder Cup points: "It's nice to be high up on the leaderboard in a major. Tomorrow is the last chance for me to earn Ryder Cup points. There's a lot to play for tomorrow. I'm hoping I can go out there and give a really good round of golf. I'd love to make the Ryder Cup team automatically and not rely on needing a pick. I'd love to keep that streak going of being an automatic pick."

  10. Final-round tee times released

    The tee times for the final round at Royal Portrush have just been released on The Open website.

    Leader Scottie Scheffler will go out in the final group alongside China's Li Haotong at 14:30 BST.

    Rory McIlroy is paired with Matt Fitzpatrick in a blockbuster penultimate group at 14:20 BST.

    We'll have a full list on the golf section of the BBC Sport website in a short while.

  11. Choose who you think will win The Open

    Is this already Scottie's? Or will someone else win the 153rd Open?

    Make your selection here.

  12. How do 54-hole leaders do at The Open?

    Open ChampionshipGetty Images

    Since the turn of the century, 13 players who were leading or tied for the lead after round three went onto win the Open out of 24 tournaments - and three of those were by Tiger Woods.

    That means that 46% of the time in recent years, the round-three leader hasn't gone on to lift the Claret Jug.

    Hope for the rest of the field?

  13. 'Scheffler is not getting beat tomorrow - simple as'

    Scheffler -14 (67)

    Billy Foster
    Caddie for Collin Morikawa at The Open, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Scottie Scheffler is on a different level at the minute. We’ve played with him the first two rounds and Shane Lowry has said to me ‘this guy wants to birdie every hole’.

    I’ve caddied for 40-odd years and he’s unbelievable. His distance control is better than anyone I’ve ever come across. He hits it to within 10-15 feet every hole.

    He gives himself a birdie [chance] every hole and and he is not getting beat tomorrow - simple as.

  14. Scheffler -14 (67)

    A quiet start for Scottie Scheffler, then he put his foot on the gas.

    Scheffler goes two shots clear with an eagle at the seventh

  15. Get Involved

    #bbcgolf, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) or WhatsApp 03301231826

    Scheffler isn't human. Rory is maybe too human. Hoping Rory can have the round of his life tomorrow and beat Scotty Too Robotty.

    Gareth, Bangor

  16. Anyone lose a ball?

    McIlroy -8 (66)

    McIlroy confused as he unearths a buried ball

    You do not see this every day at a major championship - this one is worth a second look.

  17. Watch Rory's rollercoaster round

    McIlroy -8 (66)

    'Listen to that roar' - McIlroy wows the crowd with a round of 66

    Rory McIlroy may be too far behind Scottie Scheffler to win the Claret Jug again tomorrow, but he gave his army of fans at Royal Portrush a great ride today.

    Starting with three birdies in four holes, he gave them a real sense of hope, then the charge stalled with six pars and a bogey.

    Then a huge moment on the 12th and some massive roars heading down the stretch - this is must-see stuff.

  18. Highlights starting now

    BBC Two

    Fancy watching a masterclass?

    Highlights of the third round at The Open are just getting under way on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

    Scottie Scheffler will obviously feature heavily but there was plenty today to entertain Rory McIlroy fans.

  19. 'Scheffler doesn't make mistakes' - McIlroy

    McIlroy -8 (66)

    Scottie Scheffler at The Open 2025Getty Images

    Rory McIlroy has been talking about the current leader of The Open, world number one Scottie Scheffler:

    "I don't think it's a surprise - he's playing like Scottie.

    "Everyone's seen the way he's played over the past two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes. He's turned himself into a really consistent putter as well, so there doesn't seem to be any weakness there.

    "Whenever you're chasing down a guy like that, it's hard to do. He's incredibly impressive."

  20. Get Involved

    #bbcgolf, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) or WhatsApp 03301231826

    It's such a shame that one of sport's iconic events is being reduced to a one-man show. Scheffler is being put under no pressure whatsoever and will clearly win the Championship without getting out of third gear.

    Phil, Bredon

    I think the only thing that will stop Scheffler from winning will be his motivation!

    Rupert, Woking