Scheffler four clear at Open as McIlroy charges

Scottie Scheffler continued his imperious march towards a first Open Championship title in a third round which had contained all the ingredients to set up a classic.

Instead, the world number one, who has won the past nine times he has held the 54-hole lead, will take a four-shot advantage over China's Li Haotong into Sunday's final round.

Victory on Sunday at Royal Portrush would complete the third leg of the career Grand Slam, having won May's US PGA Championship, to add to two Masters titles.

It was a typically solid, if unspectacular, bogey-free round of 67, punctuated by an eagle and two birdies, to take him to 14 under. And he will start the final round knowing he has won all three of his majors when holding or sharing the lead after round three.

"I was pretty patient," said the 29-year-old.

"Sometimes in major championships, it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days."

A magnanimous Rory McIlroy, who will start Sunday six back after a five-under 66 on Saturday, said: "I don't think it's a surprise - he's playing like Scottie.

"Everyone's seen the way he's played over the past 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.

"Whenever you're chasing down a guy like that, it's hard to do. He's incredibly impressive."

McIlroy had provided the early fireworks in his native Northern Ireland with three birdies in his first four holes, while England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland knocked in eagle putts.

Tyrrell Hatton then holed his third shot on the seventh from 140 yards with loud cheers reverberating across this famous old links as the UK players made early moves.

But MacIntyre was unable to sustain his, while Fitzpatrick and Hatton ended the day five and six back respectively.

"If I can make a great start again, anything can happen, but it will be a tall order," McIlroy told BBC Sport of his chances.

But ultimately, nobody was able to keep pace with Scheffler, who is bidding to become just the fourth player to win a Masters, US PGA Championship and Open before the age of 30 – after Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Should he complete the victory on Sunday, Scheffler would match the feat of Xander Schauffele, who won last year's US PGA and Open.

He would also become only the second player to win the Claret Jug while topping the world rankings, after Tiger Woods, who did it three times.

After opening with six pars, Scheffler played the par-five seventh in three shots and then birdied the eighth to move two clear of Fitzpatrick on 13 under.

Two shots became three when playing partner Fitzpatrick bogeyed the 11th to drop alongside Li on 10 under.

The Chinese, with only one bogey in his opening two rounds, had quietly moved up with two birdies and 10 pars in his opening 12 holes, but then missed a tiddler for par on the 13th.

Hatton was lurking. Bogey-free for his round, a birdie on the par-five 12th took him to nine under.

Another Fitzpatrick dropped shot, on the 13th, saw him join Hatton, while Li birdied 14 to bump back to 10 under and keep Scheffler in sight. Just.

Hatton bogeyed 16 to finish on eight under. Fitzpatrick birdied 15. Li did likewise on 17 to get to 11 under but then bogeyed the last.

And while the jostling to make it into the final group alongside Scheffler continued, he serenely carried on. Aside from his eagle-birdie burst, 13 pars had kept him clear of the chasing pack.

A 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th - a hole named Calamity Corner - took him to 14 under and two closing pars cemented his lead.

Li will be out last with Scheffler. Fitzpatrick will play with McIlroy in the penultimate group.

Americans Chris Gotterup - the surprise winner of last week's Scottish Open - and Harris English will also start six back.

McIlroy had hit the fewest fairways of anyone to make the halfway cut. His success rate of 32.1% over the first two days ranked him 150th in the original field of 156.

He found the first fairway on Saturday, though, and it set the tone for an early charge that sent thousands of already frenzied disciples into delirium.

A 30-foot birdie on the first was greeted with a thunderous cheer, reminiscent of a Sunday Tiger roar at Augusta.

A tap-in birdie on two and six-footer on the fourth were received with even louder bellows of encouragement with "Rory, Rory, Rory" echoing through the dunes. McIlroy had gone from seven behind Scheffler at the start of play to just four.

But then it fell flat.

A missed birdie putt from a dozen feet on the fifth and one from similar distance on the seventh killed the momentum.

His first real failure with the driver down the 11th led to a first bogey - after a bizarre incident in the rough where he unearthed a buried ball with his follow through after striking his own towards the green.

All hope lost? Not quite.

More whooping turned heads across the course as McIlroy drained a 56-foot eagle putt on the 12th.

"It was loud and cool," was Schauffele's take on the cacophony of noise following McIlroy's every move.

"I was on the 17th tee when I heard whatever happened. I assumed it was an eagle, some sort of hole-out. It was very loud, and he got a standing ovation walking down 13.

"He looks like he's enjoying it. It looks like the fans are enjoying it, which is great for this event."

But while the fans celebrated, Scheffler was busy birdieing the eighth to move six clear on 13 under.

It was a stark reminder that while the focus of the majority was firmly on McIlroy, he was only one closer than he had been at the start of play.

Still McIlroy pushed. A wedge on 15 into three feet yielded another birdie. Cue more bedlam in the stands.

But scrambling pars, first from the ravine on the long par-three 16th, and then after a wild drive on 17, saw his round peter out.

Just one bogey in a 66 would, on most days, be raucously celebrated but at six back he has surely left himself too much to do on Sunday.