Horschel leads British Open on wild day with rain and big numbers at Royal Troon

TROON, Scotland (AP) — The British Open brought the world’s best players two more hours of bad weather, and Billy Horschel was ready for it.

Horschel turned his cap around to keep rain from dripping down the brim. He played in short sleeves in the biting cold to swing more freely. He embraced everything about Saturday at Royal Troon on a day when the course gave most players a royal beating.

He survived the match with a great short game in pot bunkers and rough to shoot a 2-under 69, giving him a one-stroke lead going into the final round and his best chance to win his first major.

“I’m happy to be here. I’ve wanted to be here my whole life,” he said. “I’m finally here.”

It was mainly the road to get there on Saturday that was so difficult, a third round that was turned upside down in every possible way.

Shane Lowry went from a three-stroke lead to ninth, while South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence and Sam Burns started the day 10 strokes behind. They are now among those one stroke behind.

PGA Champion Xander Schauffele scored in the rain and battled the wind to shoot a 69 to be one behind. Justin Rose made 11 straight pars, finishing with one that elicited a big fist pump. He shot a 73 to be one behind.

“I felt like this was going to be a day where you could go out there and post a score, and it became an absolute test of survival,” Rose said.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler trailed by two strokes, one of two players yet to record an over-par round this week.

“That’s the toughest nine holes you can play in golf right now,” said Dustin Johnson, a former world No. 1 with two majors. He shot 72 and was five holes behind.

The leaders were faced with rain at the start, then a strong wind in their faces on the rugged back nine at Royal Troon.

Players couldn’t reach the par 4s in two shots with a fairway metal. Some hit the driver into the par-3 17th. Everyone hung on for dear life. Scheffler, who missed his share of short putts, hit a 3-wood into the 238-yard 17th to get 2 feet for birdie, one of the cleanest shots of the day.

“I probably don’t hit a 3-wood on a par 3 very often,” Scheffler said. “I probably don’t really hit a driver and a 3-wood on a par 4 and I don’t get in two.”

Horschel was up to the task, saving par on five straight holes on the back nine when he couldn’t reach the green, two of them from deep bunkers. He missed a chance for a sixth straight par save on the 18th and was at 4-under 209.

Shane Lowry couldn’t say that and the frustration was palpable.

Lowry, who showed his game was built for links golf when he won at Royal Portrush five years ago, built an early three-shot lead and then fell apart. He played the last 11 holes in seven overs, starting with a double bogey of the Coffin bunker on the 123-yard “Postage Stamp” eighth hole. A final bogey gave him a 77 and left him three shots behind.

“I’m definitely going in there tomorrow thinking I can win the tournament,” Lowry said. “But it’s just tough right now. Ten minutes ago I had to putt for par on the 18th green, and now I’m sitting here talking to you guys, trying to figure out how I shot a 77 in my own head.”

That was true for everyone, at least those who had endured the most difficult four-hour period.

Lawrence teed off more than three hours ahead of the final group, had six birdies in eight holes and posted a score of 65. He went from 10 strokes behind to playing in the final group on Sunday with Horschel, who was one stroke behind.

Burns was not far behind Lawrence, making eight birdies in his round of 65 and sitting in the group one shot behind that included Russell Henley, who also dodged most of the bad weather to shoot a 66.

Horschel holds a 54-hole lead for the first time in a major. He has only faced the Sunday pressure of a major once before, at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, where he trailed by two strokes and finished tied for fourth.

Now he gets 18 holes against Royal Troon and a group of survivors.

The same goes for Daniel Brown, the Englishman who made his debut in a major tournament at the age of 29 and played as if he had much more experience.

Brown had the lead after a birdie on the par-5 16th, but he ended up with a bogey-double bogey. His tee shot on the 18th came to rest on the lip of a deep pot bunker, leaving him with nowhere to stand but about 4 feet deep in the sand. He hit his third shot into another bunker and made a double bogey for a 73. He was still only one stroke behind.

“I think a lot of people thought I would be shaking and really nervous this morning, but I’m absolutely fine,” Brown said.

Brown hit his tee shot on No. 7 so far to the right that he landed on the eighth green. He played his next shot from in front of the Postage Stamp to 2 feet for a birdie that gave him the lead.

Schauffele’s only goal was to be there at the end.

“If you can get yourself in a position with a few holes to play, I think you’ve really done your job for the week. But this was a good start to that,” Schauffele said. “It’s a packed leaderboard, and it’s going to be one of those where you really have to keep your head down and worry about yourself.”

There were a few highlights. Earlier in the round, before it became commonplace, Si Woo Kim became the first player to make a hole-in-one on the 17th hole in the 10 British Opens held at Royal Troon.

And Burns and Lawrence’s 65s weren’t just special, they now have a chance to win. They were in the best spot to make a move — in the clubhouse, nice and dry, watching everyone else just trying to survive.