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2019 British Open Live Coverage: Highlights from Saturday’s third round at Royal Portrush

By GOLF Editors
July 20, 2019
Jordan begins the third round of the 2019 British Open just three shots off the lead.
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The first two rounds at the 2019 British Open are over, and now Moving Day is upon us at Royal Portrush. You can follow the entire British Open third round on Saturday with our British Open Live Coverage blog below, featuring live score updates, highlights from your favorite players, and video clips of the best shots.

One thing is for sure as the third round begins at the British Open: the leaderboard is tight at the top. J.B. Holmes and Ireland’s Shane Lowry hold a one-shot lead to start the day, but lots of players are within striking distance.

Jordan Spieth will start his round at 10:10 a.m. ET just three shots back. The former British Open champion is struggling from tee-to-green, but his putting is almost back to its old ways. Spieth will be gunning for his fourth major title this weekend.

Jordan Spieth, 2019 British Open
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Among the other players tied at five under is Brooks Koepka. The dominant pro is near the top of the leaderboard once again at Royal Portrush, and he’ll have his eyes on his second major of the year over the final two rounds.

Our British Open Live Coverage third round blog kicks off at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.We will continue tracking all the live action through the day.

Follow the entire third round of the 2019 British Open below.

British Open Live Coverage Coverage: Saturday’s Third Round (ET)

FULL BRITISH OPEN LEADERBOARD | ROUND 3 TEE TIMES
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2:55: The third round of the 2019 Open Championship is complete. We’ll see you back here first thing tomorrow morning for the fourth and final round at Royal Portrush. Thanks for following along!

2:51: J.B. Holmes birdies the 18th hole to finish at 10-under and six shots back of the lead. He’s in sole possession of third place after a two-under 69 on Saturday.

2:49: Shane Lowry shoots an eight-under 63 on Saturday, the best round of the week at Portrush, and he will enter Sunday’s final round with a four-shot lead at 16-under. He’ll be playing alongside Tommy Fleetwood as he seeks his first major title. He’s just 18 holes away from glory.

2:43: Lee Westwood shoots a one-under 70 on Saturday to finish at eight-under. He had an incredible start but cooled off late. Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood shoots a five-under 66 to finish at 12-under. He’ll be in second just four shots back and paired with Lowry for Sunday’s final round.

2:37: Shane Lowry’s stranglehold of the leaderboard has strengthened. Another birdie increases his lead to four shots and brings him to 16-under. Meanwhile, Holmes settles for par to remain at nine-under.

2:26: Fleetwood settles for par at the 17th hole to remain three shots behind Lowry, as he heads to the 18th hole.

2:24: Shane Lowry. 15-under par. Two holes to play today. He’s in control folks.

2:21: But all these developments below might be for nothing because Shane Lowry continues to play so well. He birdies the 15th hole to move to 14-under and two shots up.

2:19: Rose also finishes the day at nine-under and in a tie for third behind Fleetwood and Lowry. He’s in the mix heading into Sunday’s final round.

2:17: Koepka ends his third round with birdie-birdie to go into the final round at nine-under. Now he can hope his putter, which got hot late on Saturday, can get hotter on Sunday.

2:12: Fleetwood remains one back of Lowry at 12-under after par at the 16th hole. He’s got two holes left to play today.

2:10: Jordan Spieth finishes the round at seven-under and six shots back of the lead. He’s still in the mix heading into Sunday’s final round!

2:06: Now THIS is a drive from Koepka! He birdies the 17th hole to move back to eight-under and five shots off the lead. He’s within reach of Lowry at the top of the leaderboard.

1:53: Justin Rose’s momentum stalls a bit after he bogeys the 16th hole to drop back to nine-under with two holes to play and four off the lead.

1:51: Look at this marvelous shot from Tony Finau!

1:48: Holmes falls back to 10-under following a bogey at the 13th hole, while Lowry will remain at 13-under and in sole possession of the lead after a par at the 13th hole.

1:41: Koepka takes a step back again and bogeys the 15th hole. His tee shot found a bunker, and his shot from the bunker fell short of the green. He hammered his par save past the hole, and he’s now back at seven-under with three holes to go.

1:40: Here comes Justin Rose. Another birdie for Rose at the par-4 15th hole moves him to 10-under and three shots back of Lowry.

1:39: Shane Lowry retakes sole possession of the lead! A birdie at the 12th hole moves him to 13-under and one shot ahead of Fleetwood.

1:37: J.B. Holmes reminds us all he’s still here and in contention. A birdie at the 12th hole moves him back within one shot of the lead.

1:36: The Lee Westwood momentum has slowed up a bit as he remains at nine-under. He’s now three shots off the lead held by Fleetwood and Lowry.

1:33: Spieth gets his birdie mojo back at the 15th hole to move to six-under and six shots off the lead. He’s still hanging around.

1:32: Fleetwood pars the 13th hole to remain tied for the lead with Lowry at 12-under.

1:29: Cameron Smith has worked himself into the mix today as well. He’s now eight-under and four back of the lead with five holes to play.

1:27: Koepka finally gets a putt at a par-4 hole to drop as he moves back to 8-under and four shots off the lead following his birdie at the 14th.

1:25: Fleetwood is back in the lead with Lowry at 12-under after a birdie at the 12th hole.

1:24: Rahm continues his charge up the leaderboard with another birdie to move to eight-under with just one hole to go in his round. He’s four back of Lowry.

1:18: A bogey for Koepka at the 13th drops him back to seven-under. An errant tee shot at the par-3 went into a deep greenside bunker, and his chip out rolled past the cup. His par-save then fell short as well. A disappointing round for Koepka on the greens continues.

1:17: Rose is catching fire. A birdie at the 13th hole moves him to nine-under and just two shots off the lead.

1:12: Told you not to forget about Jon Rahm folks. Another birdie for the Spaniard at the 16th hole moves him to seven-under and four off the lead.

1:10: Fleetwood misses a great chance for birdie at the 11th hole and will settle for par to remain at 11-under and one back of Lowry as he heads to the 12th tee.

1:07: Lowry is putting on a show for the fans. He hits a miraculous second shot from the rough that somehow gets him onto the green and close to the cup. He capitalizes on the opportunity and moves to 12-under and back in sole possession of the lead.

1:05: An eagle at the 12th hole for Justin Rose brings him up to eight-under and just three back of the lead. Things are tightening up at Royal Portrush!

1:04: Koepka finally gets something to go after he birdies the 12th hole to move to eight-under. He’s birdied all three par-5’s today.

12:58: Tommy Fleetwood is back in the lead and joins Lowry at 11-under after a birdie at the 10th hole.

12:57: Lee Westwood slips up a bit after a bogey at the 10th hole. He drops to two shots back at nine-under as he heads off to the 11th tee.

12:52: Koepka’s putting struggles continue at the 11th hole. His driving and approach shots have been outstanding today, but he couldn’t make a putt if his life depended on it. He’s four back of the lead and still two-under on the day.

12:48: Fowler finishes his round at 8-under and three shots off the lead with a third round five-under 66 on Saturday. He’s right in the mix for his first major title.

12:46: Shane Lowry is your new sole leader. The Irishman moves to 11-under and will make the turn for the back-nine with a one-shot lead.

12:44: Don’t forget about Jon Rahm folks. He birdies the 14th hole to move to six-under and four shots off the lead.

12:37: Another birdie putt miss for Brooks. He’ll have to settle for par once again to remain three shots back of the lead. If the putts start dropping, watch out.

12:35: Rickie Fowler continues his charge up the leaderboard with another birdie at 17. He’s now eight-under and two back of the lead with one hole to play today.

12:28: Dylan Fritelli pours in a long birdie putt on 11. That gets him back to seven-under, right back in this thing.

12:23: So after that, neither Holmes nor Lowry make birdie on seven. In fact, neither have birdied that hole all week. Something tells me each will regret giving up a shot there.

12:21: Similar vibes to the U.S. Open for Brooks Koepka. Hitting every green but can’t get a putt to drop. Another two-putt par. Onward.

12:19: Just an absolutely brilliant bunker shot from J.B. Holmes. He and Lowry will both have good birdie looks on seven. Westwood and Fleetwood with 15-footers for birdie, too.

12:13: Willett just tugs the birdie putt on 18 a bit. He shoots 65, recovering well from an opening-round 74. Could Danny Willett really win another major?

12:10: Tommy Boy to 10-under with a birdie on No. 7. Him winning his first major here this week would be one of several great potential storylines.

12:07: Brooks lips out for a birdie on No. 8. The craziest part of his tournament is he’s not even near his best. Still seven-under, firmly in contention for another major.

12:05: Danny Willett with a heck of a shot to five-feet on 18. If he makes that, he has the lowest round of the tournament, a 64.

12:01: Haven’t heard much from DJ this week. He’s clawing to get into contention. Knocks one to 20 feet on No. 13 to get to three-under for the week.

11:56: Lowry gets up and down for birdie to join the tie at the top. Holmes has a par putt to stay there.

11:52: Koepka’s eagle putt on No. 7 misses a bit to the left. But he’ll tap in to move to seven-under.

11:49: Tony Finau goes out in three-under and he’s at seven-under for the tournament, three shots back. Elsewhere, J.B. Holmes is in some trouble in the rough on No. 5. He’s gonna have a blind shot into the green with OB looming behind.

11:46: LEADERBOARD CHECK!

Westwood, Holmes at -10

Fleetwood, Lowry at -9

Schaffele, Rose at -7

Willett, Fowler, Stenson, Kuchar, Finau, Fritelli, Koepka, Smith, Speth at -6

11:41: Lee Westwood with the ultimate heat check on his birdie putt at No. 5. Nearly goes full 90-degree angle off the mound, will tap in for par.

11:37: The best part of today might be knowing what looms tomorrow. Forecasts are calling for rain, heavy winds, etc. These guys can enjoy the scoring now because it sure looks increasingly likely it won’t be there tomorrow. Makes going low today even more vital.

11:29: Lee Friggin’ Westwood! Kicks the leg, pumps the fist, rolls in a birdie on No. 4. He’s to 10-under, tied for the lead. On a personal note, I’m pleased to now be able to grammatically use actual digits for scores! Wins for all today.

11:27: J.B. Holmes is the first to double-digits today, wrestles the solo lead back. Lowry answers with a birdie himself to get to nine-under. We have ourselves a good ol’ fashion shootout at the Open Championship.

11:22: Lowry and Holmes knock it close on No. 3. Lowry nearly aced it.

11:18: Rickie Fowler with a big birdie on the hardest hole on the course today, No. 11. Par for Lowry on No. 2. Birdie for Holmes. Tie for the lead once again.

11:15: Lee Westwood, your solo leader. A birdie on the par-3 third.

11:10: OK, it’s about time for a check of the leaderboard. Lord knows we all need it.

Westwood, Fleetwood, Lowry, Holmes at -8

Schaffele, Spieth, Harding, Rose at -7

Park, Willett, Stenson, Koepka, Finau, Smith at -6

Thomas, Fowler, Noren, Kuchar at -5

11:06: Lee Westwood, tied for a lead on Saturday afternoon at a major. Now read that sentence again.

11:05: Tommy Fleetwood makes five at No. 2. He stays tied for the lead at eight-under.

11:03: Jordan Spieth damn near moved into a tie for the lead. Birdie putt at four somehow  doesn’t fall. Our leaders both two-putt for par at one. Lee Westwood has a three-footer to tie for the lead. Hard to keep track of all this stuff…

11:01: Xander Schauffele has got it goin’. He sticks one to a couple feet. He’ll have that to move a shot off the lead.

10:56: Our leaders are off and on the green in regulation, but with lengthy birdie putts.

10:54: Tommy Fleetwood and Henrik Stenson make birdie. That’s to eight- and six-under, respectively. Getting the sense the winning number is going to be in the mid-teens, at the very least, if this weather holds off.

10:48: Koepka nearly rolls in the eagle on two. Same with Rose. They send identical putts and will both finish out their birdies. Speaking of birdies, Spieth to seven-under. Lots happening.

10:45: Spieth yells at his golf ball, and the ball obliges. Get’s a nice kick off the hill on No. 3 and will have a look at birdie.

10:41: Who could have seen Lee Westwood in the second-to-last pairing on Saturday at the Open? He’d be the second-oldest major champion ever. He’s off and in the fairway.

10:37: Spieth gives it a go at eagle on No. 2, and will have a few feet for his birdie. Meanwhile, Schauffele is three-under on his day, six-under for the tournament.

10:31: Rickie is gonna have a look at No. 8 to get to five-under, too. Would be his third birdie in four holes. Koepka and Justin Rose make par off the first.

10:25: Koepka is off and safely on the green in regulation on the first. Add two more guys to the list at five-under: Bjerregaard and Schauffele. Man, it’s crowded. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 22 guys within three shots of the lead. Twenty-two!

10:20: Everyone’s taking advantage of No. 2 today — playing as the second easiest hole, roughly 0.3 strokes under par. Add Tony Finau to the list of “everyone”. He also joins the growing crowd at five-under.

10:15: Willett joins the crew at five-under, quietly moves into the conversation. Spieth is on from the rough, will have about 40-50 feet for birdie on one.

10:13: Spieth and Putnam are off. Jordan might be the most interesting story coming into the day, given all his ups and downs — and that two-year win drought. He misses the fairway on No. 1 with an iron.

10:10: Not a ton in the way of notable movement this morning, but quick leaderboard check…

Holmes, Lowry at -8

Westwood, Fleetwood at -7

Harding, Rose, Smith at -6

Hun An, Fritelli, Koepka, Stenson, Kuchar, Spieth, Putnam, Simpson, Noren at -5

10:06: Alex Noren with a bomb from off the green for birdie. He moves to five-under, three shots off the pace.

10:03: Things are just starting to get going today. Many among the jumbled group at the top are starting to tee off. It’s Moving Day. Let’s move.

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