Hovland's ball has sat down in the rough and, as a result, he can't reach the green. He'll face a treacherous chip/putt over the slope.

McIlroy goes high, and slightly left, to take the gulley that guards the pin out of play.

Smart move - and another birdie putt coming up.

McIlroy's out with the driver on 16. Boom - holds the finish. It's down the left and trickles into the rough, but that's a good leave with the pin on the right-hand side of the green.

Hovland goes straight for his tee after sweeping one away. That's usually a good sign, but he'll find himself in the fescue rough alongside the leader.

A crying shame for Scheffler, he pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a sublime approach from the rough that somehow made it up to the top ledge and just a few feet from the hole.

He misses the birdie chance though.

Johnson is faced with a horrid putt, down in a swale going up an mountain to get back onto the green - all it's missing is a windmill and a clown's mouth it's that crazy.

He judges it superbly though - that's a great touch for a player who is obviously just feeling the pace a bit now.

-16 Rory McIlroy (15)

-15 Viktor Hovland (15),

-14 Cameron Young (14)

-12 Cameron Smith (14)

-11 Si-woo Kim (F), Scottie Scheffler (16)

Full leaderboard

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at St Andrews

Three to play, then. Two of the most popular players on tour coming down the stretch trying to position themselves nicely for Sunday’s final round. The town of St Andrews on the horizon, beer-giddy fans croaking with excitement with every strike of the golf ball and stride down the green. The Claret Jug within grasp. How do you block all that out and focus on the task in hand?!

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 Live

Smith's ball just seems to end up in the most awkward spots around the green. It has been a really stuttering day for him.

Young is a picture of concentration though and a birdie at this point, he'll take that and move on.

Right then, eagle putt for Cameron Young... he goes after it, knowing the slight incline behind the hole will help out.

Good judgement and that should see him go back to 14 under.

Back to Cameron Smith and his birdie putt... the lack of confidence from us was wholly unjustified. Canned it!

Could that be the moment to reinvigorate him and belatedly spark his round into life?

Hovland to go first. It's another long putt and again he's left himself with a tester coming back.

McIlroy's given his a proper run, too, from all of 50 feet.

Hovland's first for par. Makes it!

And Rory? The green is sporting a brown-y tinge so his ball ran a few feet past, but he negotiates another potential banana skin.

Neither of these players have dropped a shot today. Insanely good.

Like our friends near the 18th tee (see 19:26 entry), it seems fatigue is setting in for Cameron Smith.

For very different reasons, of course.

Smith's body and mind has been fried by the Old Course, not the booze tent.

The Aussie looks a little world-weary as he knocks his third shot onto the 14th green. Not confident he will land this birdie putt.

Johnson's found another bunker on 16, which again he just has to stab out back onto the fairway.

DJ should have brought his flip flops the amount of sand he's seen recently.

Think Cameron Young is going to fade away today? Think again. Made of stoic stuff this lad.

He's got a great all round game and shows that again with a long drive/creative approach combo to leave him putting for an eagle on the par-five 14th.

Shocker of a lie for McIlroy at the 15th. He's controlled it well but his ball lands on the downslope and runs off to the back of the green.

It's a good effort from where he left his drive, though.

Hovland's safely aboard, too.

A scrappy hole for Scheffler this time, and he's required to hole a near 30-foot putt just to save his par after a dodgy third shot.

St Andrews is just getting the upper hand on these two mentally I think as they're making a few poor decision to go along with a few poor swings.

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at St Andrews

“Rory. Rory, Rory. Rory, Rory, Rorrrry…” is the chant from some fans in the distance, you know, the Kolo and Yaya Toure one. Admittedly written text doesn’t do it justice.

McIlroy and Viktor Hovland both took a moment to watch the Northern Irishman’s drive disappear into the distance, before Rory reached for a swig or water from his flask. Keep the focus.

That's how to finish! Matt Fitzpatrick closes out his third round with a birdie three at the last and that's good enough for a three-under 69.

It's a solid round of golf, but the US Open champion needed something like a 65 or 66 to really vault himself into contention.

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland at St Andrews

It’s been a long, hot day at St Andrews and some of the patrons are feeling the effects.

Sunburn and swaying are perhaps expected but one fella has slumped beside the 18th tee, cap over his face, and is quite contentedly snoozing off his lager.

Well, he was until a passing fan fell over his outstretched legs and woke him up. Turns out he thinks it’s about 4pm…

If you're looking for a shot with the maximum difficulty tariff around St Andrews, and one that takes the biggest, erm, nerves shall we say - then Kim Si-Woo is your man!

Kim finds himself on the opposite side of the Road Hole green to the flag, and decides to whip out a wedge and chip it high over the infamous bunker - landing it brilliantly on the other side and within range to save par.

Astonishing. Do NOT try that at home folks.

How big could this prove to be come tomorrow evening?

McIlroy smokes his drive down 15. He looks happy enough with it but his ball appears to have settled down in the rough down the left.

Hovland follows him in there.

A massive hour coming up here, folks. Don't go anywhere.

For the Patrick Cantlay fans out there (there must be some?), your man has started to go backwards.

The American has been unable to sustain his blistering start, which put him into outright fourth at one stage.

Bogeys at 12 and 16, with no birdies in-between, see him drop out of the picture.