𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

“Yeah, he’s playing like Scottie. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Everyone’s seen the way he’s played or plays over the last two or three years. He’s just so solid. He doesn’t make mistakes. It looked like he could have made bogey on 14 there.

“He’s turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn’t seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you’re trying to chase down a guy like that, it’s hard to do. But he’s incredibly impressive.”

“It’s hard. I think it’s pretty hard to — depending on how windy it is, if I was leading a tournament, I’d want it to play hard just because you know no one’s going to shoot 62 or 63, whatever it is.

“If you shoot level to 1-under, you’re going to win the tournament. Chasing is difficult when you’re on a links course with weather and wind and bounces and things like that.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like I definitely — I feel like I’ve been in chase mode all year, which it is what it is.”

“Yeah, I think there’s some pretty subtle slopes in these greens. I’ve done a really good job just being committed to my line.

“Today I hit some good putts to start the round. I had a little three-putt there on the second hole, but I felt like I hit two putts the way I wanted to and I didn’t let it bother me. I made a really nice putt there on the third hole to keep the momentum going.

“It was a little 10-footer for par, and that was what I felt like was a really important putt, and knocked it in. Then after that I felt like I did some good things out there.”

“Oh god,” Rory McIlroy gasped as his ball fizzed a little higher than he anticipated. But then he burst into laughter, “I was on the golf ball!” The baffling moment on the 11th saw his second shot connect barely millimeters above a buried old golf ball, which proceeded to spit up and out of the ground at contact.

The most remarkable golf shot in one of the most remarkable rounds of golf, as a legion of McIlroy supporters weaved their way around the links on a baking day at Royal Portrush. McIlroy’s audacious charge towards the imposing presence of Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard may well fall short on Sunday, but his presence, as the Masters champion, back home in Northern Ireland, conjured a unique moment.

It epitomised how McIlroy remains one of the most engrossing athletes to watch in sport, all while Scheffler quietly dismantled both the course and field. There wasn’t a blemish in the world No 1’s round of 67, with his putter salvaging any minor wobbles. And while it secures a four-shot lead at -14 over Haotong Li at The Open 2025, the day belonged to McIlroy.

The 38-year-old stirred early on, putting together three birdies in his first four holes before that bizarre and glorious combined for a five-under-par round of 66 to position him tied for fourth at -8.

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, all times Local):

0730 Matti Schmid, Germany; Riki Kawamoto, Japan

0740 Dean Burmester, South Africa; Phil Mickelson, United States

0750 Sebastian Soderberg, Sweden; Andrew Novak, United States

0800 Shane Lowry, Ireland; Jacob Skov Olesen, Denmark

0810 Antoine Rozner, France; Viktor Hovland, Norway

0820 Adrien Saddier, France; Ryggs Johnston, United States

0830 Romain Langasque, France; Jordan Spieth, United States

0840 Francesco Molinari, Italy; Matthew Jordan, England

0855 Sergio Garcia, Spain; Justin Leonard, United States

See the full list of Sunday tee times for the fourth round at the Open Championship below:

The 2025 Open Championship is underway as Rory McIlroy attempts to win his home major at Royal Portrush.

The Open is the oldest golf competition in the world and the winner will collect the famous Claret Jug, first awarded in 1872. They will also receive a healthy winners’ cheque from the R&A worth $3.1m (£2.4m).

The R&A raised the total prize fund to $17m (£13.4m) in 2024, up $500,000 from the previous year but still the lowest of the four major championship.