Day: July 20, 2019

Irishman Lowry vaults to huge lead at OpenIrishman Lowry vaults to huge lead at Open

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The Open Championship, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV timesThe Open Championship, Round 4: Leaderboard, tee times, TV times

The final round of The Open Championship takes place on Sunday from Royal Portrush. Here’s how to follow all the action. Round 4 leaderboard Round 4 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 1:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 4:30-7 a.m. (GC); 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 4:30-7 a.m. (GC); 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. FEATURED GROUPS (ALL TIMES LOCAL) MUST READS Tough weather conditions in store for Sunday, tee times moved up McDowell: Rory ‘won himself a lot of fans’ McIlroy’s charge falls short, misses cut by one shot Lowry, Holmes tied for lead, seeking first major victory Koepka, Spieth bringing their best to another major Westwood leads strong British contingent Tiger misses cut, cites lack of consistency Win probabilities Nervous day for six Irish golfers Duval makes a 14, shoots 91 in Round 1 Frittelli stays hot after John Deere win Royal Portrush shines in opening round Rory’s 61 at age 16 at Royal Portrush Five things about Royal Portrush Writers roundtable: Predictions

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Shane Lowry takes 54-hole lead at The Open ChampionshipShane Lowry takes 54-hole lead at The Open Championship

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Shane Lowry has a tournament-best 63 and a four-shot lead going into the last round of The Open Championship. The Irishman broke out of a four-way tie late on the front nine with a birdie on No. 9, and then the putts started pouring in. He ran off three straight birdies late in the round and narrowly missed one final birdie that would have tied the major championship record. All that matters to Lowry is one round standing in the way of a claret jug at Royal Portrush. Tommy Fleetwood shot 66 and lost ground. He was four behind. This is the second time Lowry has had a 54-hole lead in a major. He was four shots ahead at Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open, which Dustin Johnson rallied to win.

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Leaderboard: What’s happening at The OpenLeaderboard: What’s happening at The Open

Leaderboard: What’s happening at The Open

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G-Mac: Rory ‘won himself a lot of fans’G-Mac: Rory ‘won himself a lot of fans’

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Rory McIlroy’s frantic determination to make the cut Friday at The Open Championship, followed by his disappointment that left him fighting back tears after falling one shot short, left a huge impression on his good friend Graeme McDowell. “I think Rory probably won himself a lot of fans last night,â€� McDowell said Saturday after his 3-under 68. “… It’s great in sports when we see emotions because sometimes these guys look like robots out here. We’re not robots. We hurt, and we hurt a lot sometimes. “It’s a tough sport.â€� The first Open Championship in Northern Ireland in 68 years has been an especially emotional one for the three golfers born here – McIlroy (from Holywood); McDowell (a native of Portrush); and Darren Clarke (a Portrush resident). While they’ve enjoyed being the homegrown favorites, they’ve also felt the weight of giving their fans a good showing. Clarke was emotional as he hit the opening tee shot of the tournament Thursday morning, and was crushed when a triple-bogey at the 18th hole Friday moved him outside the cut line. The normally loquacious Clarke wasn’t able to discuss it with the media after his round When McDowell teed off Thursday, he also acknowledged shedding a tear. His home club, Rathmore, sits just outside the main gate, and McDowell used to sneak on to Royal Portrush as a kid. Three others from the Republic of Ireland – Padraig Harrington, amateur James Sugrue and 36-hole co-leader Shane Lowry – also understood the enormity of this week. Lowry said his legs were shaking on the first tee Thursday, and as the primary Irish contender now, he’ll have more support than anybody else this weekend. “There’s no point trying to shy away from it,â€� he said. “It’s an incredible feeling.â€� As for McIlroy, the four-time major winner and a big favorite this week, he tried to keep his emotions in check, but it was apparent he felt like he had let down his fans after an opening 8-over 79. Friday’s heroic effort put a buzz in the air that might be difficult to match the rest of the week, his 6-under 65 matching the low round of the championship and leaving him at 2 over. Alas, that was a stroke too much. RELATED: Tee times | McIlroy’s charge falls short | Nervous day for six Irish golfers | Rory’s 61 at age 16 at Royal Portrush  Walking down the 18th fairway Friday, knowing he would come up a stroke short but receiving a standing ovation fitting of a Sunday champion, McIlroy finally felt the enormity of the week. “I came here at the start of the week saying I wanted to do it for me,â€� McIlroy said afterwards. “By the end of the round there today, I was doing it just as much for them as I was for me. “I definitely feel over the last week has been .. an eye-opener for me,â€� McIlroy said. “Sometimes you’re so far away and you forget about all the people that are cheering you on back home. And then you come and play in front of them, it definitely hit me like a ton of bricks today.â€� McDowell said watching McIlroy on Friday gave him a perspective he might not have felt the previous day. “To watch him break down a little bit kind of … legitimized my tears in my eyes Thursday morning,â€� McDowell said. “I was on the first tee Thursday wondering what the hell was wrong with me. But when I saw Rory last night, I understand it means a huge amount to us all. … “To show that raw emotion, to see how much it means to him, to see how much it means to all of us being out here and to bring this great tournament to Portrush, and for him obviously to not play the way he wants to play, the way he battled coming down the stretch says a lot about him as a person.â€� McIlroy’s emotions touched others as well. Justin Thomas offered this tweet late Friday night. Even though McDowell and Clarke have longer and more direct ties to Portrush, McDowell acknowledged that it was McIlroy who shouldered the biggest expectations. After all, as a 16-year-old, McIlroy set the course record at Portrush with a 61 (prior to renovations leading to the current layout). “This was always going to be a difficult week for (McIlroy) because he was the Irish shining light coming in here,â€� McDowell said. “It’s all right for me and Darren and Padraig and guys like that saying it’s great. Rory was the guy with the spotlight on him this week. He was handling all the pressure. He’s done a phenomenal job. Rory is a rock star. “He was coming in with the pressure of a nation on his shoulders and he was always going to feel a lot more than we did. So it obviously meant a huge amount to him … He was the guy with all the pressure on him this week. It’s a lot to handle.â€� In addition to an entire country leaning on him, McIlroy was also hoping to end his drought in majors, one that’s now reached five years since the last of his four wins. “He won’t finish on four,â€� McDowell said. “He’ll win more. I have no doubt in my mind. “Five years is a huge gap for a man of his capabilities, no doubt about it. But people grow up at different rates. There’s so much happens in a man’s life. He’s met his wife, got married. Life gets in the way sometimes. “I feel like he’s gone through that transition in his life and he’s spent this year trying to really get himself settled … I feel like mentally he’s settling back down and getting back into a rhythm again.â€� McDowell said double-digits in majors is well within McIlroy’s grasp. At age 30, McIlroy certainly has plenty of time to achieve that. “He’ll get fairly criticized this week for not playing well,â€� McDowell said. “But he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders this week. It’s difficult to come home and try and do what he tried to do this week with all that pressure and all that spotlight.â€�

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Tough weather forecast for final round at Royal PortrushTough weather forecast for final round at Royal Portrush

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – The winner of the claret jug may have to endure the toughest weather The Open can offer. There’s a chance that wind gusts could reach 35 mph Sunday afternoon. Even if the worst wind doesn’t come, it’s still expected to blow about 20 mph throughout the day. Rain is also forecast for the final round. RELATED: Tee times | McIlroy’s charge falls short, misses cut | Lowry, Holmes tied for lead | Westwood leads strong British contingent This Open has seen spells of wind and rain but it mostly has been played under relatively docile conditions, at least by Open standards. Many of Royal Portrush’s greens are elevated, as well, requiring aerial approaches. That will put players at the mercy of the wind. Royal Portrush has proven to be a proper Open test. Now the players will face proper Open weather as they compete for the claret jug.

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