The Open 2025 live: Rory McIlroy plots stunning Royal Portrush comeback as Scottie Scheffler leads

The Open 2025, Royal Portrush - Fourth round

• Scottie Scheffler holds a commanding four-shot lead heading into the final round at Royal Portrush
• Rory McIlroy overcame the bizarre to produce brilliance in a gripping third round to keep hopes of a second Claret Jug alive
• Scheffler joined by Haotong Li in final pairing with 2:30pm tee time, as McIlroy joins Matt Fitzpatrick at 2:20pm
• The Open 2025 prize money, Claret Jug winner set to bank $3.1m (£2.4m)
• Leaderboard: -14: Scheffler, -10: Li, -9: Fitzpatrick, Hatton -8: McIlroy, English, Gotterup, R. Hojgaard

'A feverish atmosphere on first tee'

The first tee is crackling with applause and whoops for McIlroy.

A feverish atmosphere lines the ropes as heads spin to see McIlroy’s iron softly drop into the fairway.

Wayne Riley says 64 is out there, but patience might be key here. The risk is accelerating too soon and handing Scheffler the Claret Jug.

McIlroy and Fitzpatrick, Ryder Cup teammates, stroll out together with caddy Harry Diamond between them.

All smiles, and we’re off.

McIlroy begins his round

Rory McIlroy is playing alongside Matt Fitzpatrick for his round today.

He shakes hands with some of the course workers before stepping onto the first tee to a loud round of applause.

McIlroy is teeing off first. He acknowledges the crowd, pulls an iron out of the bag and rattles his drive down the fairway settling it slightly to the left.

Fitzpatrick then tees off and pulls his shot further left and into the rough.

'A remarkable atmosphere'

Scheffler and Li are suddenly forced to pause as an almighty cheer breaks out.

It’s McIlroy departing the range and setting off for the putting green. A remarkable atmosphere with a few minutes remaining until he begins.

Scheffler and McIlroy on the range

The driving range is rammed with barely 20m between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

Rory is now crushing driver and the sound is just different.

Noticeably the entourage for McIlroy is in excess of 15. While Scheffler is tucked away to the side with half a dozen watching with intent.

Scheffler is holding his pose for 10-20 seconds, seemingly baffled by the exaggerated left to right shape on that one. It’s corrected on the next ball.

Fleetwood thru 9

Tommy Fleetwood’s front nine has ended in fine fashion as the Englishman is now down to -7 for the tournament.

He’s setting the pace today near the top of the leaderboard.

Can he set a score and put some pressure on the leaders?

McNealy climbing

Maverick McNealy started his round with an eagle on the par-five second, and he's since added five more birdies to his card.

He’s thru 14 holes in this round so there’ll be no time to challenge for the title but he's sitting at six under par, which is currently a share of eleventh.

Fleetwood flying

Tommy Fleetwood has recorded four birdies in the first eight holes, along with a solitary bogey.

He’s now up to -6 for the tournament and is charging the best out there on the course at the minute.

The 2019 runner-up seems to have found his putting boots with three birdie putts in excess of 15 feet.

Lowry on who he thinks will win

Shane Lowry added: "Scottie’s very hard to beat. There is a low score out there but the problem is there’s probably a low score for him as well.

“I kind of expect him to win but you never know in this game. Golf doesn’t give you anything.

"I spoke to Rory last night and said if Rory can get off to a good start and get the crowd on his back, it maybe could make it difficult for Scottie. It will be interesting to see how it plays out."

Lowry on his final round of 66

The 2019 Open Champion said: "After the last 36 hours wasn’t much fun, it was nice to go out there today and enjoy it and put on a good show for the crowds.

“The crowds are amazing. I was pretty happy with my day’s work.

"It was obviously some 24-hour bug. I felt OK this morning. I still haven’t been eating much and probably still not 100% but it was nice to get off to a good start."

DeChambeau continues to charge

Bryson Dechambeau will be ruing his opening round right now.

A seven-over 78 kicked off his Open Championship on Thursday and he has since pulled back 12 shots.

Nine over Friday and Saturday and three more today to leave him five-under-par.

A round of par or better on Thursday would have put him right in the mix for the Claret Jug but he’s got a lot of work to do over the next 11 holes.

Fleetwood birdies again

Tommy Fleetwood is providing the blueprint for the chasing pack this afternoon.

He’s had birdie chances on four of the first five holes and rolls in his opportunity on the fifth to drop back to -4.

A bogey blemish on the fourth is spoiling his opening to the round but if someone can come out and take those early chance they can put some pressure on Scottie Scheffler.

The clubhouse leader

Lowry signs off with a round of 66 and is the leader in the clubhouse right now.

(Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Rory McIlroy overcomes the bizarre to conjure thrilling charge at The Open

“Oh god,” Rory McIlroy gasped as his ball fizzed a little higher than he anticipated. But then he burst into laughter, “I was on the golf ball!” The baffling moment on the 11th saw his second shot connect barely millimeters above a buried old golf ball, which proceeded to spit up and out of the ground at contact.

The most remarkable golf shot in one of the most remarkable rounds of golf, as a legion of McIlroy supporters weaved their way around the links on a baking day at Royal Portrush. McIlroy’s audacious charge towards the imposing presence of Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard may well fall short on Sunday, but his presence, as the Masters champion, back home in Northern Ireland, conjured a unique moment.

Saving the best to last

Shane Lowry is applauded off the course after slotting in a short par putt on the 18th.

The Open champion here in 2019, Lowry recorded a round of 66, five-under-par, today and is the leader in the clubhouse at -2.

Lowry’s is the lowest round of the day so far and shows that there are low scores available if you play well.

McIlroy has ‘half a chance’ of glory

Masters champion Rory McIlroy accepts even his considerable talents may not be enough to reel in a six-shot gap to world number one Scottie Scheffler on the final day of The Open at Royal Portrush.

A third-round 66 lifted McIlroy to eight under par but he was always playing catch up to the American, whose 67 saw him extend his overnight lead to four – with the Northern Irishman a further two adrift.

“It was incredible, it was so much fun. I got off to the perfect start, three-under through four,” he said of his third round.

“To play those last seven holes at three-under I thought was a good effort. I played well, I rode my luck at times, but I feel like I’ve at least given myself half a chance..

“But he’s playing like Scottie. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Everyone’s seen the way he’s played or plays over the last two or three years.

“He’s just so solid. He doesn’t make mistakes. He’s turned himself into a really consistent putter as well so there doesn’t seem to be any weakness there.

“Whenever you’re trying to chase down a guy like that, it’s hard to do. But he’s incredibly impressive.”

Oh Tommy!

After three decent holes, Tommy Fleetwood is left scrambling on the fourth to make par.

He leaves himself 20 feet or so and hits his putt nicely. The pace is good and the line isn’t too bad.

Unfortunately he slides it wide to the right and makes a bogey. That’s his ninth of the tournament and he gives back to shot he earned on the third.

Fleetwood is back down to -3.

Missed opportunity for Fowler

Rickie Fowler slips a swinging left-to-right putt wide of the hole on the eighth and misses the chance to move down to -4.

The American played a lovely approach to leave a chance at birdie though he wasn’t able to convert.

It’s been a good week for the 36-year-old who will be hoping to finish off in style.

Birdie for Fleetwood!

Tommy Fleetwood is suffering out there but in a good way.

After slipping his birdie putt wide on the 1st he leaves another just a few inches short on the second.

On the third hole the Englishman finally gets moving and draws a loud cheer out of the crowd with a birdie that drops him to -4.

Day 4 leaderboard

Here’s how things look at the top of the leaderboard. Scottier Scheffler and Haotong Li will tee off at 2.30pm in the final pairing.

-14: Scottie Scheffler,

-10: Haotong Li,

-9: Matt Fitzpatrick,

-8: Rory McIlroy, Tyrell Hatton, Harris English, Chris Gotterup

-7: Xander Schauffele

Can Fitzpatrick win?

Matt Fitzpatrick heads into the final round at Royal Portrush with a chance to lift the Claret Jug.

Trying to rein in Scottie Scheffler will be a monumental task but if Fitzpatrick is successful then he will become the first Englishman to to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992.

Scottie Scheffler reacts to securing four-shot lead at The Open entering final round

“A clean card around a major championship golf course is always nice. No bogeys. It was nice to set up the eagle, I felt I was doing the right things. Nice to judge that shot there and then make the putt.

“Staying patient with myself, I know what I need to do tomorrow. It’ll be a challenging and fun day.

“It’d be a lot of fun [to win The Open], but that’s not what I’m thinking about. As I go to sleep tonight, I’ll think about executing.”

(Getty Images)

Fleetwood underway

Tommy Fleetwood is underway for his final round of the week.

The popular Englishman begins his round at -3 and finds the middle of the fairway with his drive on the 1st.

His next shot, an iron approach, lands on the dancefloor and sets up a birdie chance on the very first hole.

It’s a tricky one but Fleetwood will fancy it. He starts the putt off to the left and watches it curl back towards the hole.

It needs to do a little more... but just slips by the side of the hole. Fleetwood pars with a tap in.

Tyrrell Hatton on the challenge of catching Scottie Scheffler

“To be honest, I saw the leaderboards out there. You kind of know that there's opportunities and you're sort of expecting guys to be making birdies, to be honest.

“So it's not surprising, especially with Scottie going out there and playing really well today. From my side, seeing the leaders getting a little bit further away, it didn't change how I went and played the next hole.

“I was still just playing it as I would if I was 70th in the tournament. It didn't change how I played.”

(REUTERS)

Scottie Scheffler arrives for final round at The Open

Scottie Scheffler has slipped into The Open Clubhouse to begin his preparation for the final round at Royal Portrush.

The world’s best player is off at 2:30pm, arriving just over three hours before his tee time.

Out on the course, a possible Ryder Cup teammate for Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, puts an eagle putt in close on two, but moves to -2 overall after tapping in the birdie putt.

While Bryson is out and looking to add the final points available to him for the Ryder Cup standings, even if he is almost certain to be given a wildcard pick. From 184 yards, and in the thick rough on one, a towering iron clatters the lip of the bunker and trickles towards the hole. Stunning and he’ll have that to move to -3 and a tie for 29th.

Rory McIlroy overcomes the bizarre to conjure thrilling charge at The Open

“Oh god,” Rory McIlroy gasped as his ball fizzed a little higher than he anticipated. But then he burst into laughter, “I was on the golf ball!” The baffling moment on the 11th saw his second shot connect barely millimeters above a buried old golf ball, which proceeded to spit up and out of the ground at contact.

The most remarkable golf shot in one of the most remarkable rounds of golf, as a legion of McIlroy supporters weaved their way around the links on a baking day at Royal Portrush. McIlroy’s audacious charge towards the imposing presence of Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard may well fall short on Sunday, but his presence, as the Masters champion, back home in Northern Ireland, conjured a unique moment.

It epitomised how McIlroy remains one of the most engrossing athletes to watch in sport, all while Scheffler quietly dismantled both the course and field. There wasn’t a blemish in the world No 1’s round of 67, with his putter salvaging any minor wobbles. And while it secures a four-shot lead at -14 over Haotong Li at The Open 2025, the day belonged to McIlroy.

Lowry and Mickelson making big moves early on at Portrush

Some big moves early on the course, Maverick McNealy is up 15 places to T-29 and -2 through four holes. But look out for Shane Lowry, now -4 through 11 holes and back in the red at -1 overall for T-48.

It's been a turbulent week for the Irishman, but he's finishing on a high. Phil Mickelson, too, is making a late run, -3 through 13 holes and +2 overall, way back at T-57.

(Getty Images)

Lowry moves under par

Shane Lowry has had an electric day so far, finding the green with his second on the ninth and notching three birdies in a row!

He’s back under par at Royal Portrush.

That run ends with par at the 10th, a par-four, but it’s been a good day out thus far for the 2019 champion.

Bryson DeChambeau prepares on the putting green

Bryson DeChambeau is currently drilling some putting exercises on the putting green. It’s been a tumultuous week for the two-time US Open champion. There’s been real character to overcome the messy first round. From T-8 at St Andrews, DeChambeau has gone T-60 and M/C, so a good round today should elevate him from his current place at T-34.

What an experience for Nathan Kimsey today, who plays alongside Bryson on debut in the major championships. The world No 508 will hope to build on a sensational week in Portrush. The pair go out at 11:30am.

The Open 2025: Tee times and fourth round schedule at Royal Portrush

Fourth Round - later starters

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, all times Local):

1030 Bryson DeChambeau, United States; Nathan Kimsey, England

1040 Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Tony Finau, United States

1050 Justin Thomas, United States; Tommy Fleetwood, England

1100 JJ Spaun, United States; John Parry, England

1110 Keegan Bradley, United States; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa

1125 Marc Leishamn, Australia; Lucas Glover, United States

1135 Sungjae Im, South Korea; Dustin Johnson, United States

1145 Corey Conners, Canada; Lee Westwood, England

1155 Harry Hall, England; Justin Rose, England

1205 Ludvig Aberg, Sweden; Kristoffer Reitan, Norway

1215 Oliver Lindell, Finland; Matt Wallace, England

1225 Wyndham Clark, United States; Brian Harman, United States

1240 Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark; Robert MacIntyre, Scotland

1250 Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark; Russell Henley, United States;

1300 Xander Schauffele, United States; Tyrrell Hatton, England

1310 Harris English, United States; Chris Gotterup, United States

1320 Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Matt Fitzpatrick, England;

1330 Li Haotong, China; Scottie Scheffler, United States

Garcia breaks driver

Frustrations have boiled over for Sergio Garcia, who managed to rescue par on the first hole after a bad start, but has now broken his driver after another poor swing on the second!

Rules dictate he can’t replace the club for this round. Oh dear.

Bryson DeChambeau on how to fix pace of play in golf

“It's very simple. It's not difficult at all. You eventually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple. Nobody wants to do it -- because people are too scared to get exposed, which I am an advocate for. I'd love to be timed, and I have no problem with that.

My putting, I'm more deliberate, take more time on that, but when it comes to iron shots, off the tee, I'm pretty fast. It's like D.J., he's really slow on the putting greens, and then he's incredibly fast on his full swing shots, second shots into it.

Everybody plays a different style of game, and that's just the way it is. I wish it was just a new system.”

(Getty Images)

Weather forecast ideal for early starters

Those out on the course now are making the most of some ideal conditions: a pleasant 16 degrees with hardly any wind, although it’s set to pick up slightly as the day goes on.

Lowry delights crowd with 183-yard birdie

The 2019 champion may not have had the ideal start but he gives the crowd something to holler about with a near-hole in one at three, tapping in for a birdie, before a stunning 183-yard birdie at four!

Shane Lowry on expectations at The Open 2025

“Yeah, I felt like I dealt with it well, though, and felt like I did really well. You could say I scored pretty badly. Par-5s were poor over the first couple of days, and I feel like I really could have been there, thereabouts.

“You know, it's golf. It doesn't always go your way, but you just need to kind of keep plugging away and I'll go out there tomorrow -- the annoying thing for me today is I didn't get to enjoy today as much as I would have liked. Saturday at The Open in your home country, I should enjoy it a lot more than I did, just because of how I felt.

“I'll try to get out -- hopefully I get out tomorrow morning and try and enjoy it as best I can, try to shoot the best score I can, and then have a couple weeks off before the playoffs. For me, my big mindset for the next few months is about the Ryder Cup and trying to win that. That's where all my work is going to go towards over the next while.”

(Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Lowry begins with par

The early starters are out and Shane Lowry begins his fourth round with a steady par.

The American Andrew Novak birdies one and two for a lightning-quick start.

John Parry on hole-in-one at The Open 2025

“It was a great day. Obviously the sort of experience you get making a hole-in-one, the atmosphere was absolutely amazing.

“I think that is about 10. I haven't counted back and could probably work it out, but it's about 10, yeah.

“I did hit a really good shot for once, so it was quite nice. It was quite a comfortable shot where I knew I had a big window to land the ball in. It was either going to pitch short and hit the downslope and feed down or -- it went in a bit stronger than I thought it would from that distance for what club I hit. But I felt like it was going to be close.”

Yorkshireman John Parry registered the first hole-in-one at this year’s Open Championship (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

“Yeah, I mean, disappointed with -- still had the last six holes, if you like. I felt like walking off the green, I was 5-under for the tournament but felt like I could have been two or three better at that point as well. That was with a couple of mistakes.

“Sort of had a really good round going and would have liked to have got more and then just disappointing finish. A couple bad shots, a couple mistakes, and overall sort of left feeling a bit annoyed or dejected or disappointed, whichever way you put it. But it wasn't a bad round, it just wasn't what we needed.”

(Getty Images)

Shane Lowry on feeling ill throughout third round at The Open

“Yeah, not great. No, not great. I haven't eaten today yet. I tried to get a protein drink down me after eight holes, and I felt like throwing up all over the place. Yeah, it's been a tough day, but I'm not going to make excuses. I played poorly today and obviously had a bad finish.

“I felt like I ground it out really well to get to 1-under for the day through 13. Then a bad shot on 14 and a little bit of a bad break as well.

(Getty Images)

“Yeah, it's hard. It's hard to take. You get home late and have to dust yourself off. Wake up at 2:30 with cramps in my stomach. I know we have it in the house. Ivy had a couple of days ago. Wendy had it yesterday. Me and Iris have it today. It will be gone by the holidays next week. So at least that's a plus.”

Jon Rahm on slow play at The Open 2025

“Well, like I told them, at least the people that played in my wave, we had a lot of rain come in and out, so umbrellas out, glove out, put the rain gear on, take the rain gear off, give the umbrella to the caddie.

“It becomes a lot longer that way. Like I said to them, it usually is very much related to the amount of players in the field. When you have 150 plus the first two rounds, every single major except the Masters, obviously, is going to be longer rounds. It's just what it is.

“We don't have -- in smaller fields when you have less people, and even in threesomes in small fields, you don't really have that issue. Once they get to the Playoffs or DP World championship or Abu Dhabi, those are not things that become an issue.

“I think there's so many players and there's so many opportunities to where the game can get delayed, you can reach the second hole, you can reach 5, you can let them finish or they're going to wave up, you can reach 7, you can reach 12, then plenty of holes like 16 where things can get lengthened, that's just going to happen. It's the flow of the game. There's very little you can do to make those rounds a lot shorter. That's just the nature of the game.”

Robert MacIntyre on the weather not making the links challenge as pure as it can be

“When I went home last night when I left here yesterday, I thought beautiful links golf working its magic, and I'm sitting on my couch almost in tears because I'm watching flags are limp, guys are spinning it on greens.

“I thought walking away from here last night that I wouldn't be more than three shots back, ended up five shots back from the best player in the world, and it feels like, yes, you can still be in it if something happens, but you just feel that little bit too far back.

“I don't know if that had an effect on me what I felt. I was having to push a little bit more, and a couple of mistakes came in early on. Now tomorrow is go out there and finish as high as we can, get as many World Ranking and Ryder Cup points as we can.”

Matt Fitzpatrick bemoaned putting woes as Open bid fades

“They just wouldn't go in. That's the long and short of it. They went in yesterday. They didn't go in today. I just felt like I left myself too many short, mid-range, like 5 to 8 feet. Obviously that starts to build up a lot of pressure as the round goes on, and never gave myself a lot of chances with the irons to kind of make anything. So you're hoping for a 25-, 30-footer to go in. That's just hard to sustain over the course of 18.”

(AP)

The Open 2025

(Getty Images)

US golfer Scottie Scheffler walks up the 17th fairway on day three of the 153rd Open Championship (AFP via Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Ludvig Aberg on his week at The Open 2025

“The last two days? Yeah, it's definitely been better. I felt like I was striking my irons a lot better today, which makes it a lot more stress-free. I felt like I had a lot of those sort of 20- to 25-footers that I would have loved to maybe roll a few in. But overall that's the reason why I'm bogey-free today.

“I'm too far back from the lead, but I still feel like a good round tomorrow, you can get a good finish, which is what I'm trying to do tomorrow. I think if I keep doing the same things that I did today and maybe shave off a few shots here and there, I think I'll be in good position.”

(Getty Images)

Scottie Scheffler reacts to securing four-shot lead at The Open entering final round

“A clean card around a major championship golf course is always nice. No bogeys. It was nice to set up the eagle, I felt I was doing the right things. Nice to judge that shot there and then make the putt.

“Staying patient with myself, I know what I need to do tomorrow. It’ll be a challenging and fun day.

“It’d be a lot of fun [to win The Open], but that’s not what I’m thinking about. As I go to sleep tonight, I’ll think about executing.”

Robert MacIntyre on keeping his composure despite getting angry

“ I think it's fair game to lose the plot every now and again. I feel like we've made the wrong decision off the tee on 14, which then made the second shot on 14 really difficult as a left-handed golfer. Just try to hold that wind. Obviously in that bunker, bunker's dead, first job get out of the bunker, then hit it over the top. I've lost the plot on both of them, after both of them shots, a bit of anger came out.

“Then when I'm hitting that putt, I've got a clear head, got a job to do, get this thing up-and-down. I find it easy just now. I find it easier in the bigger golf tournaments, the ones where birdies aren't happening all the time, when you can actually feel as though you can -- good golf gets rewarded.

“The tougher the test, the more I feel I can keep that discipline. The more there's a birdie fest and a shootout, that's when I lose it properly.”

(Getty Images)

Jon Rahm calls for rule changes after Shane Lowry penalty at The Open

Two-time major winner Jon Rahm believes the rules of golf need to be changed to avoid players having to accept penalties rather than run the risk of being called a cheat.

Third-round playing partner Shane Lowry was handed a two-stroke punishment after he finished on Friday night when officials reviewed television footage and deemed that he had fractionally moved the ball during a practice swing.

The Irishman, 2019 champion at Royal Portrush, insisted he did not see the incident so could not call the infringement on himself - which he could then have rectified by replacing his ball at a cost of one just stroke - but accepted the sanction as he did not want to be accused of cheating.

It dropped him back from two under and eight off the lead to level par, which appeared too far back to contend over the weekend.

That proved to be the case as Lowry, also suffering from sickness, shot a three-over 74 on Saturday.

Tyrrell Hatton on the challenge of catching Scottie Scheffler

“To be honest, I saw the leaderboards out there. You kind of know that there's opportunities and you're sort of expecting guys to be making birdies, to be honest.

“So it's not surprising, especially with Scottie going out there and playing really well today. From my side, seeing the leaders getting a little bit further away, it didn't change how I went and played the next hole.

“I was still just playing it as I would if I was 70th in the tournament. It didn't change how I played.”

Rory McIlroy reacts to shooting 66 at Royal Portrush to keep alive hopes of winning The Open

“Obviously a great start, sort of like the dream start to be able to be 3-under through 4 and have 5 and 7 to play. To not birdie those was a little disappointing.

“Yeah, what happened on 11 was just so -- my ball came out so strange, like I thought I was going to get a flier, and I looked up at my ball, and I could see it spinning up against the wind. Just a really weird -- I had obviously no idea there was a ball anywhere close to my ball.

“I could have done better with the chip shot there anyway. That was the bogey -- I mean, making bogey on 11 is not the end of the world. It's a tough hole. Yeah, the eagle on 12 was one of the coolest moments of -- it's one of the largest roars I've ever heard on a golf course. So that was a really cool moment. To get those shots back straight away was nice, and I felt like I played the last few holes really solid and picked one up coming in, which was good.”

(Getty Images)

Scottie Scheffler on letting his wind wander in rounds

“I think it would be silly to say that you can never let your mind wander, but I think most of what I can control is the time I have when we're thinking about the shot and when I'm over the ball, and most of that's just being committed to what I'm doing, so I'm not thinking about wind, I'm not thinking about how the ball is going to bounce. I have a picture of what I want to do, and that's what I'm committed to try and make happen.”

Scottie Scheffler is four shots clear of his nearest challenger (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Rory McIlroy on Scottie Scheffler

“Yeah, he's playing like Scottie. I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played or plays over the last two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes. It looked like he could have made bogey on 14 there.

“He's turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. But he's incredibly impressive.”

(Getty Images)

Xander Schauffele on what it takes to chase down Scottie Scheffler

“It's hard. I think it's pretty hard to -- depending on how windy it is, if I was leading a tournament, I'd want it to play hard just because you know no one's going to shoot 62 or 63, whatever it is.

“If you shoot level to 1-under, you're going to win the tournament. Chasing is difficult when you're on a links course with weather and wind and bounces and things like that.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like I definitely -- I feel like I've been in chase mode all year, which it is what it is.”

Scottie Scheffler on his excellent putting

“Yeah, I think there's some pretty subtle slopes in these greens. I've done a really good job just being committed to my line.

“Today I hit some good putts to start the round. I had a little three-putt there on the second hole, but I felt like I hit two putts the way I wanted to and I didn't let it bother me. I made a really nice putt there on the third hole to keep the momentum going.

“It was a little 10-footer for par, and that was what I felt like was a really important putt, and knocked it in. Then after that I felt like I did some good things out there.”

(Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy overcomes the bizarre to conjure thrilling charge at The Open

“Oh god,” Rory McIlroy gasped as his ball fizzed a little higher than he anticipated. But then he burst into laughter, “I was on the golf ball!” The baffling moment on the 11th saw his second shot connect barely millimeters above a buried old golf ball, which proceeded to spit up and out of the ground at contact.

The most remarkable golf shot in one of the most remarkable rounds of golf, as a legion of McIlroy supporters weaved their way around the links on a baking day at Royal Portrush. McIlroy’s audacious charge towards the imposing presence of Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard may well fall short on Sunday, but his presence, as the Masters champion, back home in Northern Ireland, conjured a unique moment.

It epitomised how McIlroy remains one of the most engrossing athletes to watch in sport, all while Scheffler quietly dismantled both the course and field. There wasn’t a blemish in the world No 1’s round of 67, with his putter salvaging any minor wobbles. And while it secures a four-shot lead at -14 over Haotong Li at The Open 2025, the day belonged to McIlroy.

The 38-year-old stirred early on, putting together three birdies in his first four holes before that bizarre and glorious combined for a five-under-par round of 66 to position him tied for fourth at -8.

The Open 2025: Tee times and fourth round schedule at Royal Portrush

Fourth Round

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, all times Local):

0730 Matti Schmid, Germany; Riki Kawamoto, Japan

0740 Dean Burmester, South Africa; Phil Mickelson, United States

0750 Sebastian Soderberg, Sweden; Andrew Novak, United States

0800 Shane Lowry, Ireland; Jacob Skov Olesen, Denmark

0810 Antoine Rozner, France; Viktor Hovland, Norway

0820 Adrien Saddier, France; Ryggs Johnston, United States

0830 Romain Langasque, France; Jordan Spieth, United States

0840 Francesco Molinari, Italy; Matthew Jordan, England

0855 Sergio Garcia, Spain; Justin Leonard, United States

See the full list of Sunday tee times for the fourth round at the Open Championship below:

The Open 2025 prize money, Claret Jug winner set to bank $3.1m (£2.4m)

The 2025 Open Championship is underway as Rory McIlroy attempts to win his home major at Royal Portrush.

The Open is the oldest golf competition in the world and the winner will collect the famous Claret Jug, first awarded in 1872. They will also receive a healthy winners’ cheque from the R&A worth $3.1m (£2.4m).

The R&A raised the total prize fund to $17m (£13.4m) in 2024, up $500,000 from the previous year but still the lowest of the four major championship.

JJ Spaun took home $4.3m for winning the US Open, McIlroy earned $3.6m for winning the Masters, and Scottie Scheffler received $3.3m for winning the US PGA Championship earlier this year.