Tommy Fleetwood carded a third-round 69 at Royal Birkdale to remain in the hunt for his first Claret Jug, but the headlines were stolen by Rory McIlroy's scathing attack on Bryson DeChambeau over a rules violation that delayed the championship.
Fleetwood's Steady Progress
Fleetwood entered the third round at four-under-par after a second round that featured three birdies in his final five holes. The home favourite made another fast start, recording two birdies on the front nine and another on the 11th. However, bogeys at the 15th and 18th left him with a 69, keeping him in contention but with work to do heading into the final round.
McIlroy's Blistering Critique
McIlroy, who sits at two-under heading into the final round, did not hold back when discussing DeChambeau's conduct. The American had carded a second-round 66 to move within a stroke of the lead but was later penalised two shots for a rules violation, having been adjudged to have inadvertently improved the line of his swing by trampling long grass on the fifth hole.
The penalty dropped DeChambeau to five under for the tournament, three behind halfway leader Lucas Herbert, and cast doubt on his continued participation. DeChambeau released a statement just after midnight confirming he would play over the weekend, but McIlroy was unimpressed.
“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” McIlroy said. “I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”
McIlroy Watched Incident Live
McIlroy, who completed his second round before DeChambeau started his, revealed he watched the incident unfold in real time from the players’ lounge. “As soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, that didn’t seem right,” he said. “Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all — it was pretty obvious for why. I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.”
McIlroy added that while every shot is on camera for some players, not all are, making self-policing crucial. “When there is obvious evidence, like there was last night, then obviously that’s a different story,” he said.
Ryan Fox Equals Course Record
An eventful day also saw Ryan Fox write his name into Open history by becoming the third player this week to equal the course record of 62. The New Zealander recorded nine birdies in his round. “I would have taken 62 on a Saturday, that's for sure,” Fox said. “Hopefully I can find something similar in the final round. I knew I had a chance to get to that 62 number. To be honest, standing on the last tee, I thought if I can get one on the fairway here, you can get a wedge or a 9-iron in and have a putt for 61. It wasn't to be. But I'm going to be in a good place. That's more what I'm worried about.”
