World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler surged to a commanding solo lead in the third round of the 153rd Open Championship, displaying unwavering consistency at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 19 (local time).

Scheffler fired a flawless 4-under-par 67, highlighted by an eagle and two birdies, to reach a 54-hole total of 14-under-par 199, placing him four shots clear of second-placed Li Haotong of China. His round was marked by unwavering precision, notably posting no bogeys. Scheffler’s key moments included an eagle on the par-5 7th after holing from approximately three meters, and a birdie from nearly five meters on the following par-4 8th hole. Another birdie on the par-3 16th kept him firmly atop the leaderboard with a bogey-free performance.

“Today I stayed patient and felt great about my shots. Sometimes majors make birdies hard to come by, and today was one of those days. I worked hard to create opportunities, and fortunately, I was able to capitalize on a few of them,” Scheffler commented after his round.

Li Haotong made history as the first Chinese golfer to enter the final pairing of a major championship, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown with Scheffler on Sunday.

Other notable results included England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who sits in third with a 9-under total of 204, and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who climbed into a share of fourth at 8-under-par 205 after shooting a superb 5-under for the day. Defending champion and world No. 3 Xander Schauffele of the United States finished the third round in eighth place at 7-under-par 206.

Korean player Sungjae Im carded six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under round, catapulting up 12 spots to a tie for 22nd at 4-under-par 209.

Meanwhile, England’s John Parry made a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th, finishing tied for 29th at 3-under-par 210 alongside Justin Thomas and J.J. Spaun. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Spain's Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Rickie Fowler wrapped up the round tied for 34th at 2-under-par 211. Jordan Spieth ended the day at 1-over-par 214, tied for 56th, while Phil Mickelson finished 5-over-par 218, landing in a tie for 66th.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News Agency