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<\/p>\n9.45am Sunday (AEST): The Round 4 pairings for our Aussies and Kiwis are in \u2013\u00a0and they\u2019re box office.<\/p>\n
The hunted has become the hunter as Lucas Herbert scratched and clawed his way to a 1-over 71 to keep his hopes of a maiden major victory alive at The Open Championship.<\/p>\n
Starting day three at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with a two-stroke lead, Herbert was tied at the top before he teed off, Kiwi Ryan Fox firing the third 8-under 62 in two days to match the lowest round in major championship history and ignite his tournament aspirations.<\/p>\n
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Herbert will start the final round three strokes back of American Sam Burns (65) and paired with Swede Ludvig Aberg in the third-to-last group, well within range to make a Sunday run at the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n
The top of the leaderboard is littered with Australasian players with two former Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners in Fox and fellow Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, Herbert and four-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Cameron John all inside the top 11. \u2013\u00a0Tony Webeck via golf.org.au<\/p>\n
Round 4 tee times AEST<\/p>\n
5:50pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Min Woo Lee, Tyrrell Hatton
7:40pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Adam Scott, Patrick Reed
10:05pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cameron John, Daniel Brown
1:15pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Kazuma Kobori\u00a0(NZ), Hideki Matsuyama\u00a0
11pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lucas Herbert, Ludvig Aberg\u00a0
11:20pm\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ryan Fox\u00a0(NZ), Sam Burns<\/p>\n
5:10am Sunday (AEST): Is this one of the greatest recovery shots in golf history?\u00a0<\/p>\n
NBC\u2019s broadcast team certainly felt so, and it\u2019s hard to argue. After pulling his tee shot on No.17 well left and into a dune, Lucas Herbert was lucky to even find his golf ball. And after taking an unplayable penalty, it looked like he\u2019d be lucky to even get his ball back in play. Instead, he took a violent lash and wound up nearly hitting the flagstick for a shot you have to see to believe:<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Herbert, he didn\u2019t make the birdie putt, but still, what a par to stay in the hunt as he tries to win his maiden major title.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Alex Myers<\/p>\n
5am Sunday (AEST): Bryson went full \u201cperformative\u201d mode on 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rory McIlroy\u2019s\u00a0\u201cperformative\u201d label\u00a0<\/a>on DeChambeau may have sounded harsh, but there was an element of truth to it. Bryson is the ultimate showman, as he\u2019s proven time and time again. It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s in the latest episode of \u201cBreaking 50,\u201d or in the middle of winning the US Open, he\u2019s going to play to the crowd no matter what.\u00a0<\/p>\n The show went on, literally, at the 18th on Saturday, where DeChambeau was grinding out an impressive round to stay in contention. He pulled his drive into the left fescue, where the crowd began egging him on. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s how Bryson arrived at his ball:<\/p>\n Surprised he didn\u2019t do this on every single shot. Then again, not surprised he waited to do it until every last bit of attention was on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, DeChambeau did go on to make bogey, but his one-under 69 has still given him a chance at the claret jug on Sunday.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Christopher Powers<\/p>\n 4.30am Sunday (AEST): Even Scottie Scheffler is ironically fist pumping missed putts now.\u00a0<\/p>\n After three straight days of making almost nothing at the Open Championship, the World No.1 reached the end of his rope on Saturday evening. As Scheffler watched yet another six-footer slide by \u2013 this one for birdie on the par-5 17th \u2013\u00a0he raised his fist to the sky in some mixture of ironic celebration and triumphant protest.<\/p>\n Scheffler was equally animated after tapping in for par, wildly gesticulately to caddie Ted Scott about the uneven tracking of the Royal Birkdale putting surfaces. Scheffler doesn\u2019t generally wear his emotions on his sleeve, but has\u00a0struggled mightily from outside of seven feet<\/a>\u00a0this week. Late Saturday, his patience finally seemed to run out.<\/p>\n The defending champion ultimately shot an even-par 70, and sits five back of leader Sam Burns heading into Sunday\u2019s final round. However, if Scheffler wants to make a run at a second straight Claret Jug, he\u2019ll first have to make nice with his flatstick. \u2013\u00a0Coleman Bentley<\/p>\n 4:15am Sunday (AEST): Jon Rahm just saved par from his knees!<\/p>\n The Spaniard\u2019s immense short-game talents were really put to the test on the 18th hole on Saturday. Unable to take a normal stance, Rahm dropped down to his knees and pulled off a sensational sand shot on his way to saving par and shooting a third-round 70. Have a look:<\/p>\n 4am Sunday (AEST): Bookmark that drive on 11 from Lucas Herbert.\u00a0<\/p>\n After struggling over his first six holes, Herbert was able to right the ship with birdies on seven and nine to retake the lead. However, his driver leaked on the 11th and into a burn \u2026 only for his ball to rattle around each side of the hazard and pop up and land safely. <\/p>\n Incredibly, Herbert\u2019s next shot also received a good bounce, seemingly heading long into the heather before taking a soft hop and coming down the slope, leading to a par. There aren\u2019t many places in Birkdale to make a big number, so for Herbert to escape unscathed is something that could loom large the rest of the weekend. \u2013\u00a0Joel Beall<\/p>\n 3:45am Sunday (AEST): \u201cThat was a moment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Those expecting fireworks from Bryson DeChambeau on Saturday after everything that transpired Friday have not gotten their wish. However, DeChambeau is not out of the tournament, humming along at one-under for the round, six-under for the championship. Things could have gotten away from him at the par-3 12th, though, where the pin is tucked on the right behind a dune and the wind is off the right. It\u2019s the type of shot nobody is taking on, opting to bail out way left. DeChambeau, naturally, took it on, coming up miles short into a pot bunker, leaving him with a 10 out of 10 on the difficulty scale bunker shot over the dune.\u00a0\u2013 <\/p>\n Bryson blasted one out to 11 feet, then drained the par putt. \u201cThat was a MOMENT,\u201d remarked Paul McGinley on the NBC broadcast. It did feel like a big swing, especially with both of Royal Birkdale\u2019s par 5s lurking, and the lead remaining in single digits.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Christopher Powers<\/p>\n 3.30am Sunday (AEST) Herbert clings on to Open lead on tight moving day<\/p>\n Lucas Herbert was left still clinging on to his British Open lead halfway through his third round at Royal Birkdale on a day when New Zealander Ryan Fox lit up the Championship with another record-equalling 62.<\/p>\n Just as Herbert, the overnight leader by two shots, had equalled the lowest round ever recorded at a men\u2019s major championship on Friday, Fox became the third man at Royal Birkdale this week to shoot a landmark eight-under round of 62 on Saturday.<\/p>\n Fox\u2019s early brilliance meant that by the time Herbert was the last to tee off, he had already been caught at eight-under by his trans-Tasman colleague.<\/p>\n Then as \u2018moving day\u2019 unfolded on the Lancashire links, 30-year-old Herbert was initially knocked out of first place as his pursuers began to make a move, only to regroup after dropping a shot at the third hole to reach the turn in one-under and move back to the head of the leaderboard at nine-under.<\/p>\n As he moved into the inward half of his round, the Australian LIV star was one shot clear of Fox and Sam Burns, the other member of the \u201962 club\u2019 who\u2019d also shot an eight-under round on Friday.<\/p>\n Just a shot behind them were charging local hero Tommy Fleetwood, Korean Si Woo Kim, Cameron Young and Herbert\u2019s US playing partner Jackson Suber, who were all on seven under going into the day\u2019s business end. \u2013\u00a0Ian Chadband | AAP<\/p>\n 2:30am Sunday (AEST): The Rory McIlroy-Bryson DeChambeau feud explodes!<\/p>\n Following a one-under 69 on Day 3, Rory McIlroy lamented not making more of a move up the leaderboard before being asked about Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s controversial penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cI was watching it live. I was up in the players lounge watching it with a few other players, and as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, that didn\u2019t seem right,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cThen when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all \u2013 it was pretty obvious for why.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Again, it\u2019s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don\u2019t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n “I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention.”<\/p>\n Rory McIlroy commented on Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s two-shot penalty at Royal Birkdale and how he handled it. \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/gTyCp95jxC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As Australian Golf Digest detailed<\/a>, the scenes following the R&A\u2019s decision Friday night bordered on the surreal. McIlroy was watching from home, and was not a fan of what he was seeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, look, I won\u2019t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I\u2019m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it\u2019s performative. I think a lot of it\u2019s for attention,\u201d McIlroy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn\u2019t feel like it was a great look.\u201d \u2013\u00a0Joel Beall<\/p>\n 1:40am Sunday (AEST): Can your playing partners affect your score?\u00a0<\/p>\n Brad Faxon certainly thinks so. And he believes Scottie Scheffler got a bad draw playing the first two days with Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton, who he described on NBC as \u201ctwo guys who are difficult to play with.\u201d The eight-time PGA Tour winner added, \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a two-stroke penalty.\u201d Ouch.<\/p>\n Brad Faxon on Scottie Scheffler’s first two rounds:<\/p>\n “Pairings make a big difference. So many things can influence how a player plays\u2026 [Scottie] had a tough pairing with Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton, two guys that are difficult to play with. It’s almost like a\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Scheffler entered the weekend at four-under par through 36 holes. He\u2019s playing with Francesco Molinari at Royal Birkdale on Saturday. \u2013\u00a0Alex Myers<\/p>\n 1:30am Sunday (AEST): One of the PGA Tour\u2019s most thoughtful players has come to Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s defence.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are plenty opinions circulating about the two-shot penalty DeChambeau received on Friday evening after his second round, but one worth highlighting came from Max Homa. The former King of Golf Twitter weighed in on the controversy surrounding the sport\u2019s content king by saying \u2013 among other things \u2013 that he didn\u2019t agree with the ruling and that DeChambeau \u201cwould never cheat the game of golf.\u201d<\/p>\n Max Homa says he doesn\u2019t agree with the ruling on Bryson DeChambeau yesterday and says he knows Bryson would \u201cnever cheat the game of golf\u201d:<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not really, I guess, wanting to be able to decide on fair, because they’re the rules officials. I only saw one angle, and in my\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/sCMKBOP6Gp<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0BLQsAToxt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It won\u2019t give him back those two shots, but Bryson has to feel better knowing he\u2019s getting some support from his fellow competitors.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Alex Myers<\/p>\n 1am Sunday (AEST): Nick Faldo just fired another shot in his cold war of words with Bryson DeChambeau.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before Friday\u2019s\u00a0run-in with some tall grass and R&A rules officials<\/a>, Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s biggest beef at Birkdale this week was with Nick Faldo. In the build-up to the 154th Open Championship, Faldo said DeChambeau\u00a0\u201czero clue\u201d of links golf strategy<\/a>. DeChambeau\u00a0clapped back<\/a>\u00a0after a strong opening round and on Saturday, Sir Nick made sure to\u00a0let everyone know<\/a>\u00a0that it\u2019s all good, they\u2019re friends actually!<\/p>\n After\u00a0Friday\u2019s fesue fiasco<\/a>, however, Faldo decided to poke the bear again, saying on Sky Sports, \u201cBryson wants to be the centre of attention and everything \u2026 I\u2019ve got to believe it\u2019s [the drama surrounding the rules incident] another hurdle to climb.\u201d<\/p>\n “He wants to be the centre of attention!” \ud83d\udc40 Sir Nick Faldo and Paul McGinley share their thoughts on the Bryson DeChambeau controversy \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/UMKmfTgUcf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, but perhaps that\u2019s the real reason for the pair\u2019s simmering disdain for each other: They\u2019re actully TOO much alike.<\/p>\n Pop psychology aside, we\u2019ll see if DeChambeau chirps back or is as focused as he says he is. If he resists the bait, it might be the surest sign yet that he\u2019s put\u00a0the controversy<\/a>\u00a0behind him and is ready to contend for the Claret Jug. \u2013\u00a0Coleman Bentley<\/p>\n 12am Sunday (AEST): Make it three 62s at Royal Birkdale in a little more than 24 hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ryan Fox did the honours on Saturday, making nine birdies and a bogey to not become the sixth golfer to share the all-time men\u2019s 18-hole scoring mark in a major, but grab a share of the Open lead with Lucas Herbert at eight-under.\u00a0Like Herbert on Friday, Fox had a look at a putt for a 61 to break the record. Mind you, it was 47\u00bd\u00a0 feet, compared to Herbert\u2019s five, but given the fact his drive on the hole ended up in a fairway bunker, reaching the green in two was an accomplishment.\u00a0Here\u2019s how close Fox came to becoming the first to shoot a 61:<\/p>\n \u2013 Ryan Herrington<\/p>\n 12pm Saturday (AEST): Bryson makes call on weekend participation <\/p>\n It looks like Bryson DeChambeau will most certainly be playing this weekend in the Open Championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n After Friday\u2019s rules issue that cost DeChambeau two strokes,\u00a0discerning lip-readers<\/a>\u00a0believe that DeChambeau said to R&A officials that he wasn\u2019t going \u201cto play tomorrow.\u201d A wild statement, given that DeChambeau, even with the penalty shots, trails leader Lucas Herbert by only three strokes. <\/p>\n DeChambeau then went out and pounded balls on the range into well after dark. Seemingly cooled down, DeChambeau did a short post on X confirming that he\u2019d continue to go on. <\/p>\n Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don\u2019t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let\u2019s get it.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondech) July 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And we might have trouble sleeping tonight in anticipation of what a spectacle it could be at Birkdale on Saturday with the pro- and anti-Bryson camps showing up in full throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n ****<\/p>\n 11:40pm (AEST): The most disappointing 62 in major championship history?\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucas Herbert might have a claim to it after his finish on Friday at Royal Birkdale. The 30-year-old Aussie had made nine birdies on his opening 17 holes and only needed a par on the 18th hole to shoot a 61 and break the men\u2019s major 18-hole scoring mark. But he walked off with a bogey when he missed a five-footer for par after a wayward drive put the record in jeopardy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now he can claim the sixth 62 in a men\u2019s major, joining Brendan Grace (2017 Open Championship, third round, Birkdale); Rickie Fowler (2023 US Open, first round, LACC); Xander Schauffele (2023 US Open, first round, LACC); Xander Schauffele (2024 PGA, first round, Valhalla); and Shane Lowry (2023 PGA, third round, Valhalla).\u00a0Sam Burns would join him just 15 minutes later, signing off for a 62 of his own that was kind of missed by everyone in all the Herbert hoo-ha.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 11:31pm (AEST): Nick Faldo responds to Bryson DeChambeau\u2019s \u2018strategy\u2019 response . . . to Nick Faldo Nick Faldo began this curious back-and-forth with Bryson DeChambeau by making comments on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast<\/a> ahead of the tournament. The six-time major champ didn\u2019t hold back regarding Bryson\u2019s links golf strategy \u2013\u00a0or lack thereof.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has \u2013\u00a0I\u2019d say it to his face \u2013\u00a0he has zero clue of strategy,\u201d Faldo said.<\/p>\n Only it doesn\u2019t appear he has said it to DeChambeau\u2019s face. And after the two-time US Open champ shot 67 on Thursday, he responded to Faldo\u2019s comments in a cheeky manner, using some form of the word \u201cstrategy\u201d three times in one answer.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc4a @brysondech<\/a> was happy with his strategic play in round 1 of The Open<\/p>\n QUESTION: “Bryson, a really good shift today, 3-under 67. A little sour taste on 18, but you must be super proud of your efforts today”<\/p>\n BRYSON: “Yeah, it was a hard fought battle out there. The wind was\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/V11VQjOaKp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And on Friday, Faldo stoked the flames again by releasing a video message in which he stands by his original comments. However, he also noted that DeChambeau played smartly on Thursday, that he\u2019s a big fan of Bryson and that the two text throughout the season. Have a look and listen:<\/p>\n OK then.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that DeChambeau broke a record at last year\u2019s Open for a 54-hole span by shooting 65-68-64. And then added 67 on Thursday. So, whatever strategy he\u2019s using seems to be working. \u2013\u00a0Alex Myers<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 11:00pm (AEST): Matt Fitzpatrick was never winning this golf tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n Expectations can be a helluva drug, and not the kind that makes you feel good. Coming into the week, Fitzy was playing some of the best golf of his life, making him a popular betting pick. There is no worse place to be. Just checked the \u201cmost tipped\u201d chart from the\u00a0Golf Tips Checker Twitter\/X account<\/a>, which tracked over 350 tips from 50 different sources in in the golf betting community (including our big brothers at US Golf Digest):<\/p>\n This is the last chart you want to see yourself on. More proof that the \u201cpublic\u201d being all over you is the kiss of death. Fitz, who made a birdie at the 11th that got him closer to the cut line on Friday, promptly made a double at the next hole to drop to four over. Unless he has, at minimum, three more birdies (probably needs four) and no bogeys in him the rest of the way, he will be headed home early. Other highly-tipped golfers on that chart include Wyndham Clark and Tom Kim, who both appear destined for a MC, too.\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0Christopher Powers<\/p>\n RELATED: Min Woo\u2019s putting switch pays off at Royal Birkdale<\/a><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 9:00pm (AEST): Lucas Herbert enters the history books! The LIV golfer from Bendigo, five off the pace overnight sitting at level par, took advantage of perfect scoring conditions on the Lancashire links on Friday morning, equalling the lowest nine-hole score in Open history with a six-under 28.<\/p>\n Herbert\u2019s six birdies in nine holes equalled the 28 also set at Birkdale by Englishman Denis Durnian 43 years earlier.<\/p>\n From nowhere, it meant the Victorian had raced straight to the top of the leaderboard at six-under, one shot clear of the overnight leader, American Jackson Suber, who was on five under after 14 holes.<\/p>\n It was a remarkable passage of play from the in-form Herbert, who revealed earlier in the week at Southport how the uncertainty surrounding the future of LIV Golf had taken a toll on him, and even made him consider his future in the sport.<\/p>\n A live shot from Birkdale right now! \ud83d\udc40 #theopen<\/a> #golf<\/a> @lhgolf5<\/a> @TheOpen<\/a> @rippergc_<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KCSXlAVIFn<\/a><\/p>\n — \ud835\ude71\ud835\ude9b\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude8d \ud835\ude72\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8f\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude97 (@bradcliffo) July 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2026\/4\/scheffler](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2026\/4\/scheffler%20fist%20pump.jpeg.rend.hgtvcom.966.966.suffix\/1784398227183.jpeg\")
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We\u2019re having a good old-fashioned response-off between a pair of major champions at the Open Championship this week.<\/p>\n\n
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Australian Lucas Herbert has made a dramatic, record-equalling morning move in the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to shoot to the top of the leaderboard.<\/p>\n\n