Scheffler takes 4-stroke lead into final round of British Open

Scottie Scheffler moved within one round of claiming the third leg of the Grand Slam on Saturday when he made an eagle and two big par saves for a 4-under 67 in the British Open that gave him a four-shot lead at Royal Portrush.

The roars belonged to Rory McIlroy, who had seemingly all of Northern Ireland on his side, the most raucous cheer coming on a 55-foot eagle putt.

But this championship is now in the hands of Scheffler, who has won his last 10 times when he had the 54-hole lead and didn’t show anything on a stunning day at Royal Portrush to indicate he was going to come back to his challengers.

McIlroy, who revved up the enormous crowd with three birdies in four holes at the start, had the most bizarre moment of the championship when he went to gouge out a shot from the rough right of the 11th fairway and a second ball emerged from the turf.

“It’s never happened to me before,” McIlroy said after his 66. “It could never on any other course but a links course.”

It led to his lone bogey. He responded with that eagle putt that elicited a roar that rocked Royal Portrush. But he was six shots behind, and likely needing a round even better on Sunday.

This is Scheffler’s largest 54-hole lead in a major — he was up by three shots at the PGA Championship and three shots in the 2022 Masters.


(AP Photo Jon Super)