The Open 2024 LIVE: Golf leaderboard and scores as Billy Horschel leads heading into round four

MacIntyre said: “A lot of people have been struggling this week. After yesterday’s (first) four holes, I thought I’d be sitting on my couch in Oban right now, not playing golf. It was a big effort last night and, coming out today, I didn’t have everything going.

“But that’s golf. Last week you were the champion and this week you’re just bottom of the pack.”

The Oban-based left-hander celebrated long into the night after triumphing in his home Scottish Open last Sunday but it has been a different story in Ayrshire this week.

After battling to make the Open cut on Friday, the 27-year-old again found the going tough in the third round, carding a one-over-par 72 to sit on six over.

The back nine proved particularly challenging as he registered three bogeys, although he escaped with a par on the 18th after being forced to innovate and play a shot right-handed.

“Envisioning myself holding that trophy on 18, walking out to the crowd and being congratulated as Open champion.

“That’s what I’m going to do again tonight and hopefully that comes true tomorrow.

“If it doesn’t, then I’ll get back on the grind and work harder to get back in a position like this again.”

Ryan Fox is the only man to make a birdie on the Postage Stamp today. There might not be many more today either…

Mickelson and MacIntyre have a large group following them, but both men are +1 today and T59 at +7 overall.

Jordan Spieth is -2 through three, to sit T33 at +4. Fox is one better for the day, -4 through 10, but back on +5 overall.

American Billy Horschel has gone to bed every night this week contemplating winning The Open but he is closer than ever to that becoming a reality after grinding his way to the top of the leaderboard on a brutal third day at Royal Troon.

The 37-year-old shot a 69 in the worst of the wind and rain and, despite being six under at one point and bogeying the last, his four-under total was enough for a one-stroke 54-hole lead.

He benefited from Englishman Dan Brown double-bogeying the 18th to elevate him to that position but it is something Horschel has spent the last six nights imagining.

“Something I’ve done this year, and I’ve done a better job of it this week, is sort of manifest seeing myself holding the trophy before I go to sleep every night,” said the Floridian, whose travels overseas have made him something of an Anglophile with a liking for West Ham, darts and cricket.

Xander Schauffele is Rich Beem’s pick: “He’s got self-belief now.”

While David Howell agrees, but is perhaps going with heart: “I agree with Rich, but I think Rose is equipped to do it, I can’t imagine Rose’s career without a claret jug, so I’ll go with him.”

Major debutant Dan Brown will play with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler today as they try to chase down the overnight leader, Billy Horschel, at Royal Troon.

Horschel and Thriston Lawrence will be last to tee off, at 2.25pm.

The tradition after an ace is to buy drinks for everyone but Kim was not aware of that.

“I’ve got to buy Korean barbecue but it’s not my country so maybe I get fish and chips for my team,” he added.

Kim’s two previous attempts playing the 238-yard penultimate hole had resulted in a double bogey and a bogey but he arrived on the tee having birdied the 16th, his first since the short Postage Stamp eighth, but at seven over for the tournament.

He landed his tee shot short of the green and as it rolled up it tracked all the way to hole.

“My caddie told me ‘You’d better hit hard with a three-iron’ so I did and as soon as I made good contact I see the ball over the fringe (thinking) ‘That must be maybe inside 20 feet’,” he said.

“Then people are yelling at me as I didn’t realise the ball went in. It was amazing. I had plenty of holes-in-one in my life, maybe over 10 times, but I think this is the most memorable hole-in-one because it’s a major and The Open and I was having a hard time on the front nine.

“I was feeling terrible about my shots (at the hole) the last couple of days. I made double Thursday and I made three-putt again yesterday: finally I got the hole-in-one, so I think I like it now.”

There are currently 30mph winds swirling around Royal Troon this morning.

You can forget the forecasts, it seems, they mostly state winds are hitting 10-15mph, but Sky Sports presenter Henni Zuel has an anemometer out and her reading by the outdoor studio is 23mph.

Conditions are tough and this could create great fluctuation later up and down the leaderboard.