Francesco Molinari leaves his eagle effort a couple of feet right but he finishes with a four for a round of 75 and -3 overall. You get the feeling he was a little bit overawed by the monstrous hitting of McIlroy and Johnson...

Mark James
Former Ryder Cup captain on BBC TV

"When Rory McIlroy is good, he is probably as good as anyone there has ever been."

Nick Dougherty
European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live

Rory's played the par threes in under par this week, 2.73 shots average, whereas the field is averaging over par. He's making what are quite tricky par threes here look easy.

Huge applause as Rory makes his way to the 18th green, the punters in that horseshoe stand have had some fine entertainment today. Dustin flirted with the bunker front-left but has a long putt from the apron for eagle... cosies it up there, should make birdie...

Nick Dougherty
European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live

Great players play great shots and Rory McIlroy is playing one after the other here. That's a flag you shouldn't be able to get anywhere near today.

Peter Alliss
BBC Sport commentator

"That is a gem from Rory. They don't come much sweeter than that. I love to watch people doing things well and nobody does it better than him."

Francesco Molinari has had a torrid time today, he's four over through 17. But what a shot this is, a splendid wood into the heart, eagle chance at the last. McIlroy gets inside him, though, and he'll have that 15-footer for an eagle and a six-shot lead. The Northern Irishman has been jauntily magnificent today.

John Murray
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

Image source, Reuters

"There's been great interaction between Fowler and Garcia but really to pressure McIlroy they would have needed something absolutely sensational."

Ryan Moore for eagle at 18... leaves it just right of the hole and he'll be in for a birdie and a round of 73. Woods makes a birdie at his last, the ninth, and that's a round of 73 for +3 overall. Garcia in for par at the last, a round of 69 and nine under overall. It will be McIlroy and Fowler going out last tomorrow.

McIlroy at the last and he's absolutely melted that, over the corner and slap-bang in the middle of the fairway. Garcia with his third at 18 and he's left himself with a 20-footer for birdie. Fowler playing from a green-side pot bunker and that's a crackerjack, he'll tap in for birdie, a round of 68 and -10 overall.

Garcia pushes his second right of the 18th green, Fowler is also in a spot of bother. Ryan Moore of the United States is the third member of that group and he gets a naughty bounce over a bunker - Moore has a rough ride on the front nine but has settled things down since, he's four under.

McIlroy is pretty much where Garcia was on 17 and the result is almost identical, scrambling up the hill and dribbling back again. McIlroy almost holes his recovery putt and it's only one shot gone. Schwartzel taps in for a round of 72, which leaves him where he started, six under. Birdie at the last for 2010 champion Oosthuizen, but he's four over for the day and two under overall...

David Leadbetter
Leading golf coach on BBC Radio 5 live

"It's been pretty poor golf, whether it's good for friends to play together well that's another thing. It's as flat as a pancake out there, there's no energy."

David Leadbetter has been following South African trio Charl Schwartzel (-6), Louis Oosthuizen (-2) and George Coetzee (-3), who have all gone backwards today, especially 2010 Open champion Oosthuizen who dropped four shots in four holes on the back nine.

Dustin finds the heart of the 17th green with his second, McIlroy has apparently tugged his approach into some cabbage short-left. Garcia steps away from his drive on 18, think that was a spot of insect trouble, before tugging his tee shot left. Fowler just makes the first cut.

Image source, Getty Images

Justin Rose talking to BBC One after a 69 leaves him five under: "Today turned out to be a nice day to play golf. Not much wind and that was my lowest round of the week, although my 70 in the wind yesterday was my best round.

"I had the chance to go much lower today. I was on the trickier side of the draw but I played some good golf. But maybe haven't had my run yet. I'm probably too far back to win but you never know what the conditions will bring."

-15 McIlroy; -9 Fowler, Garcia; -8 D Johnson, Dubuisson; 7 E Molinari; -6 Manassero, Scott, Furyk, Schwartzel, Karlsson; -5 Clarke, McDowell, Rose, Leishman, Warren, Walker.

Official Open leaderboard, external

Remember Tiger and that bush on the seventh? He made a triple to fall back to +4. Garcia will have to make do with a bogey at 17, he drops to -9 and six off the lead. Fowler comes up an inch short, he joins Garcia.

Good to see Sweden's Robert Karlsson playing with his old elan, he's in the clubhouse on six under after a third-round 70. Fowler's chip on at 17 comes up short and dribbles back down the hump, he's got a rotter for par. Garcia's stab from the rough does much the same, Rory could be looking at a six-shot lead in a minute...

So we know they go back a while and, as it stands, Rory McIlroy has the edge over Rickie Fowler and the rest of the field on the Hoylake links.

Something to ponder though: Fowler has two professional wins where, on both occasions, a certain McIlroy was pipped to the title.

First at the 2011 Korea Open, McIlroy finished second, then at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship the American defeated the Northern Irishman in a play-off.