Brian Harman heads into the final day on 12 under and five clear of Cameron Young, with Jon Rahm six strokes back in third as he looks to complete the third leg of the career Grand Slam; Watch the final day of The Open live on Sunday from 8am on Sky Sports Golf
A look back at Brian Harman’s third round at Royal Liverpool that gave him a five-shot lead heading into the final round at The Open.
Could there a shock twist and a final-round collapse at The 151st Open? Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley explains why the final men’s major of the year is far from over, despite Brian Harman taking a five-shot lead into the final day at Royal Liverpool…
Harman recovered from bogeying two of his opening four holes to post a two-under 69 during the third round in Hoylake, lifting the American to 12 under and retaining his overnight cushion over the chasing pack.
The world No 26 last held the 54-hole lead in a major back at the 2017 US Open, the year he last won on the PGA Tour, with Riley believing that Harman is far from certain to end up claiming the Claret Jug.
- Third round as it happened | Latest leaderboardBrian Harman stays five clear as Cameron Young, Jon Rahm impressStream The Open and more with NOW for £21 a month
Brian Harman says he has no idea what will happen in his final round at Royal Liverpool after he carded a third-round 69 to earn a five-shot lead with 18 holes to play at The Open.
“I don’t think Harman has one hand on it, it’s five shots,” Riley told Sky Sports. “I’ve had a five-shot lead and what you sleep on isn’t pleasant, you’re thinking ‘what are my peers going to think of me? I’ll be remembered forever if I blow a five-shot lead in The Open Championship’.
“A guy like Jon Rahm or Cameron Young could easily get off to a flyer and birdie the first four holes and Harman could be one over. I know people will say ‘well he’s not going to do that’, but you just never know. These bunkers out here are like madness.
A look back at the best of Jon Rahm’s thrilling bogey-free 63 that moved him into contention at The Open
“This thing is far from done. If he’s five shots in front with eight or nine to go, then yeah we’re kind of thinking that it might over. But there’s 18 to go, so how’s he going to sleep tonight?
“How many phone calls will you take? You may as well throw your phone out the window and not speak to anyone? It’s going to be tough for him, he’s never been in this position before with such a big lead, and it’s going to be a long time before that first tee.
“It’s an old cliche we’ve said many times, that the chasers need help from upstairs. Will it happen? I don’t know. Will Harman choke? We don’t know. Rahm will want to draw first blood early.”
Can Harman avoid historic collapse?
Jean Van de Velde is the last player to squander a five-shot 54-hole lead in a major, when Paul Lawrie famously won The Open at Carnoustie in 1999, while the advantage is the biggest going into the final day at an Open Championship since Rory McIlroy won the 2014 contest.
A look at Rory McIlroy’s best shots from his 2014 Open Championship win at this year’s venue, Royal Liverpool.
“On the evidence of today, I would say yes he’s up to the task,” four-time major champion Dame Laura Davies told Sky Sports. “The worst thing he would have been thinking about was the start he had and then he could have gone worse from there.
“He didn’t, he birdied the fifth and then settled down. To be honest with you, his long irons on the par-three nine, on the 13th were his best shots of the day. He certainly has got shots.”
Wayne Riley says The Open is far from done despite Brian Harman having a five-shot lead heading into the final round.
Sir Nick Faldo took a five-shot lead into the final round of The Open in 1990, an advantage he converted into a comfortable victory by the same margin for the first of his Claret Jugs, although he warns a Harman win will not be as straightforward as it may appear.
“It’s a funny number to defend,” Faldo explained. “You think, ‘oh yes it’s tonnes’, but it’s not because you go and play super aggressive and think ‘what if I knock one four foot past, that’s a silly waste’.
“On a course like this, with opportunities in there, if it stays soft and you know the guys are going to come at you, you might as well put your head down and really play as hard as you can.”
Watch The 151st Open throughout the week exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Sunday from 8am on Sky Sports Golf, with Featured Groups and Featured Holes available via the red button. Stream The Open and more with NOW for £21 a month.
