Updated ,first published
Southampton: Lucas Herbert’s quest to become the second Australian to win the British Open in 33 years threatened to disappear on Saturday before a bogey at the 17th – and one of the biggest shots of his life – may have saved his championship hopes.
The Australian, who shot a record-equalling 62 on Friday, carded a one-over 71 to finish the day at seven under, tied for fourth at Royal Birkdale in England.
His two-shot lead on the night disappeared early; despite a tough fight, Herbert will start Sunday’s final round three shots behind American Sam Burns, who leads at 10-under.
Herbert tees off at 2pm on Sunday (11pm AEST) with Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg in the final third, while Australians Min Woo Lee (5.50pm AEST), Adam Scott (7.40pm AEST) and Cameron John (10.05pm AEST) are the other Australians playing.
John’s Maiden Major is going well after shooting 71 on Saturday to reach four-under par for 11th, while Scott (-1) and Lee (+2) will need a miracle to get into contention.
“I had a bad start and then got it together in the middle,” Herbert said. “It’s disappointing things I’ll learn (from), but I have a lot of good things to do tomorrow.”
Herbert held the lead at nine-under after 13 holes but when Burns bogeyed 14 and the Australian hit a par on the 15th before coming close for bogey, things changed.
It was a tough day off the tee. Herbert hit just 35.7 percent of the fairways and relied on a neat short game after hitting just two-thirds of the greens in regulation.
Following back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th, Herbert’s biggest test came on the par-five 17th.
After another wild drive left, Herbert found himself blocked from the green by a bad lie and had to drop a penalty. After a lengthy discussion with the law enforcement officers, he was given the length of two clubs which gave him enough space to attempt a bold shot near the tree.
What followed could be the defining moment of his tournament.
Faced 223 meters to the blind green from a thick rough, Herbert produced an incredible three iron that finished safely behind the putting green. His flight putt slid by, but the escape of the par felt almost as valuable.
“I had a rough streak there on the 17th. I was chasing that car. I wanted to make a tie and get into that last group and be right there,” Herbert said.
“The two-club length was on the edge of where I could get a swing and get a good lie. We were arguing about the foot, but it was very important in the whole scheme of things.
“I got the feeling … I might hit something special here and try to get some speed back the other way. I had made two bogeys.
“It was one of those shots you stood on (where it was like) this is not going to be believed or it could be the end of my tournament if I hit it straight into the fairways in front of me and run some kind of two-pointer on that hole. I’m glad it came out.”
Herbert then moved up another level after recovering a free following another wrong drive left, signing for a 71 that leaves him one shot behind New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim, who share second place at eight-under.
“I think Sam Burns is going to be crazy. With his results in the majors and him not winning one, I think he’s going to be very difficult to beat,” Herbert said of the world number 18.
“I’m not happy about giving him a three-shot start, but that’s where we are. I’d like to play my second-best round of the week tomorrow, hit under par, and put myself in the spotlight. I’ve loved all the feelings this week of being in contention and competing.
“Obviously, yesterday, shooting 62 and all the emotions that (comes with that) … I can imagine it would be fine if (I’m) in contention to win tomorrow. I just want to witness that because that’s what I’ve always wanted to do and what I play for.”
Ian Baker-Finch, the last Australian to win the Open at Royal Birkdale, in 1991, walked the course watching Herbert’s round.
Only Greg Norman (1993) and Cam Smith (2022) have lifted the Claret Jug since Baker-Finch’s triumph in 1991, but Herbert believes there is still time to make one more claim.
When Smith won St Andrews four years ago, he also endured a disappointing third round, shooting one-over before closing with a superb 64 to take the title.
It was a parallel that Herbert had already considered as he walked up to the 18th.
“I would like some crossovers there if it was resolved,” Herbert said. “It’ll be a nice little story to go with it, won’t it.”
McIlroy launches DeChambeau with a foul
Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy has launched a shocking scene in Bryson DeChambeau, accusing the LIV Golf star of holding the British Open “hostage” during a “performance” stouse with officials after two shots were fired on Friday evening.
The extraordinary comments came less than 24 hours after DeChambeau threatened to pull out of the Royal Birkdale Championship following a penalty for improving the area he intended to go backwards on the fifth hole.
Despite the drama, DeChambeau recovered to post a one-under-par 69 on Saturday to sit six-under, tied for sixth heading into the final round.
Officials ruled Friday that DeChambeau had improved the location of his backhand before playing his shot from the foul line, although they acknowledged that the violation was unintentional.
The American was escorted to the fifth hole after his second round clash with law enforcement officials, with his agent insisting that DeChambeau was not a cheater and had never tried to gain an unfair advantage.
The lengthy negotiations delayed the release of third round times, leaving players, players, volunteers and officials waiting until Friday night before the draw could be confirmed. Some competitors still did not know when they would leave at 10.45 pm.
After carding a 69 on Saturday to sit nine shots off the lead, McIlroy offered a withering assessment of the event and DeChambeau’s response.
“I was in the players’ lounge watching it with a few other players, and as soon as he stepped on the ball, we all looked at each other, and we were like, that doesn’t seem right,” McIlroy said. “Then when I heard that he was called by law enforcement officers … it was obvious why.
“I think there’s no doubt that he improved his rebounding. Again, whether it was careless or intentional, I don’t think it matters. I hope, it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.”
McIlroy and DeChambeau have shared a frosty relationship for several years, especially since the American left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. McIlroy was one of LIV’s most vocal critics during the height of golf’s civil war, and while tensions between the rival tours have eased in recent years, his latest comments suggest there is still little heat between the pair.
The six-time major leaguer made it clear he had little sympathy for DeChambeau.
“I’m not going to pretend to be here and defend Bryson. I don’t like him that much,” McIlroy said. “I think a lot of it is practical. I think a lot of it is observational. To hold that tournament hostage, and to have all of us, the players, the volunteers, everybody waiting for him to leave, I didn’t feel like it was a good look.”
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Tom Decent is the senior sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X or email address.
