Ryan Fox storms into contention at The Open Championship with record-equalling round
Ryan Fox of New Zealand has surged into contention at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, equalling the lowest single-round score in men’s major golf history during the third round. Fox, who started the day at level par, recorded nine birdies and one bogey, achieving a front-nine score of 29. His round of 62 moved him to eight under for the tournament, placing him in a tie for second.
Fox’s performance matches the 62s previously recorded by Australia’s Lucas Herbert and American Sam Burns earlier in the tournament. Before this year’s Open, only five rounds of 62 had been achieved in men’s major history, including Branden Grace’s effort at the 2017 Open, also at Royal Birkdale, and rounds by Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, and Shane Lowry in recent years.
Fox’s aggressive strategy pays off
Fox’s aggressive approach was a key factor in his third-round success. He stated his game plan was to be aggressive, often using his driver. A birdie on the par-four 18th could have given the 39-year-old a round of 61, but his long putt fell short after a strong second shot from a bunker. This marks a significant improvement for Fox, who had not finished in the top 20 in his nine previous appearances at The Open.
The leaderboard sees American Sam Burns leading at ten under par after a five-under 65 in the third round. Burns holds a two-shot advantage over Fox and South Korea’s Kim Si-woo, who are both at eight under. Other notable players in contention include American Rory Gerard and Lucas Herbert, both at seven under.
American superstar Bryson DeChambeau remains in the mix, four shots behind Burns at six under after shooting a one-under 69. DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion, is the only player within the top ten with major-winning experience. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg also moved into contention with a 67, placing him at six under.
Burns maintains lead as Fleetwood’s hopes falter
Sam Burns, who shot a record-equalling 62 in Friday’s second round, continued his strong form with four birdies on the front nine of his third round. Despite a bogey on the ninth, he added two more shots at the 14th and 17th holes to solidify his lead. Burns’ combined score of 127 shots from rounds two and three (62, 65) is the lowest total across any two rounds in men’s major championship history.
Burns, who finished runner-up at last month’s US Open, was not initially planning to play at Birkdale due to the expected arrival of his second child. However, his daughter Belle arrived early on 3 July, allowing him to participate. He will tee off with Ryan Fox at 14:20 BST for the final round.
Meanwhile, local favourite Tommy Fleetwood, despite strong crowd support, saw his hopes of an emotional win set back by late bogeys on the 15th and 18th holes in his third-round 69. Fleetwood, who is five shots behind Burns at five under, expressed that being within one shot of the lead on the back nine of The Open was close to his golfing utopia.
Another New Zealander, Kazuma Kobori, also made a significant move up the leaderboard, firing a three-under 67 to reach four under for the tournament, placing him inside the top 20.
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Source: bbc.com
