The Open 2025 hots up entering the weekend with Rory McIlroy hoping to use a feverish home crowd to contend for the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.
The Masters champion is in contention this time after missing the cut at the same Northern Irish venue six years ago, while England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is also well poised to hunt down second-round leader and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The Englishman has rediscovered his best form on the links to post a round of 66 and trail Scheffler by one stroke at nine-under-par with Haotong Li and Brian Harman, both at eight-under and ready to contend.
Shane Lowry was left furious after being handed a two-stroke penalty yesterday and it has scuppered his hopes of a comeback, with round three starting poorly for the Irishman and playing partner Jon Rahm.
Heavy showers of rain over the first two days have proven a tough test for the world’s best players in the final men’s major of the year, though that didn’t stop Englishman John Parry producing one of the highlights of the tournament with a hole in one on the 13th.
Follow all the latest updates, leaderboard, scores and analysis from Royal Portrush below:
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The Open 2025 - Round 3
- Rory McIlroy in contention at -3 with home crowd at Royal Portrush roaring on Masters champion
- Round 3 tee times as Matt Fitzpatrick holds lead heading into Saturday
- The Open prize money: How much does the winner take home?
- Leaderboard: -10 Scheffler, -9 Fitzpatrick; -8: Li, Harman; -5: MacIntyre, Hojgaard R, Hatton, English
The Open 2025 - Round Three
13:57
,
Chris Wilson
A couple of difficult holes for DeChambeau saw him move to -1, but he birdies the next to get back to -2. Not quite as impressive as yesterday for the American.
13:56
,
Chris Wilson
Hovland -1, Spieth E (7)
Spieth takes his second birdie on the seventh to move back to level par, while Hovland has to settle for par.
Lowry E, Rahm E (10)
Elsewhere, Lowry lands his first birdie of the day and Rahm is also back up to level par.
Parry lands a hole in one!
13:46
,
Chris Wilson
We have a hole in one and John Parry has moved to -3!
He takes on the 192-yard 13th and tees off with a lovely shot that arcs perfectly for the ace!
Barely a bounce as it fell in.
The first hole-in-one of the 2025 tournament, and the 26th in the last 40 years of The Open.
Schauffele tees off
13:42
,
Chris Wilson
Defending champion Xander Schauffele begins the day on -2 and he tees off with a promising shot down the fairway.
The Open 2025 - Round Three
13:40
,
Chris Wilson
Spaun -3, Johnson -2 (8)
Spaun lands a 17-foot birdie putt to move to -3, while Dustin Johnson continues a good day by securing par to stay on -2.
Fleetwood lands an eagle!
13:39
,
Chris Wilson
Fleetwood -2, Thomas E
This is popular!
Tommy Fleetwood lands a monster putt for the first eagle of the day, and he moves to -2!
He clips his second shot 282 yards before lining up a 35-foot putt that he sinks in brilliantly!
Conners finishes on -4!
13:32
,
Chris Wilson
A brilliant round from Corey Conners today, as he lands another birdie on 18 to finish the day with a round of 66.
He’s at -4 now, and will face an interesting wait to see how high that puts him up the leaderboard!
The Open 2025 - Round Three
13:28
,
Chris Wilson
Stenson -3 (14)
Wallace -2 (2)
Henrik Stenson has seen his early progress halted as he finds his first bogey at the 14th. He moves back to -3.
At the other end of the course, Matt Wallace is off to a flyer as he birdies the first two holes to move to -2.
DeChambeau makes par!
13:26
,
Chris Wilson
How has he missed this one!?
DeChambeau is just four feet away as he lines up his birdie putt but he misses it! The ball clips the right-hand lip and he stays on -2.
Fleetwood bogeys first
13:23
,
Chris Wilson
A shame for Fleetwood as his par putt lips out, and he’ll have to settle for a bogey on the first.
Lowry & Rahm still struggling
13:11
,
Chris Wilson
It just isn’t happening for this duo at the moment.
Both have birdie chances on seven, but the putts are missed.
Lowry will be more disappointed as his putt was from around seven feet compared to Rahm’s at 20+.
Fleetwood & Thomas tee off
13:06
,
Chris Wilson
Fleetwood -1, Thomas -1
Now this man would be a popular winner. He’ll be hoping to replicate the brilliant start from yesterday.
Tommy Fleetwood tees off alongside Justin Thomas, with the Englishman rifling his first shot down the fairway
Plenty of movement now...
13:01
,
Chris Wilson
Stenson -4, Conners -3
Johnson -2, DeChambeau -2
Henrik Stenson is the biggest mover of the day so far, having started on +1 – he’s at -4 now, with a lovely approach shot on the 12th giving him a tap-in for birdie.
Dustin Johnson has just holed a birdie putt to move to -2, while Corey Conners remains on three under through 15.
DeChambeau stays on -2 after narrowly falling short on an uphill birdie putt. So close!
Elsewhere, Mickelson misses the par putt on five and falls to level par.
The Open 2025 - Round Three
12:58
,
Chris Wilson
Jack Rathborn at Royal Portrush:
Lowry and Rahm are struggling today, but remain jovial. They’re currently tackling the stunning stretch from five through seven that wraps around the coast and looks out to the sea. Rahm was left baffled on six, as his tee shot drifted right, “what!?” Barked the Spaniard. Lowry’s support remains loud, but a birdie try on six passes by.
Rahm’s neat from the thick stuff just long gives him a short par putt, and it’s tucked away with aplomb. These two Ryder Cup teammates, both stuck on +1 for the tournament, searching for a spark.
Tee times
12:53
,
Chris Wilson
And here are some selected tee times from the main contenders:
2:30 Jordan Smith, Rory McIlroy
3:05 Harris English (USA), Robert MacIntyre
3:15 Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den)
3:25 Haotong Li (Chn), Brian Harman (USA)
3:35 Matthew Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler (USA)
The Open 2025 - Round Three
12:47
,
Chris Wilson
Hovland -2, Spieth +1 (3)
Hovland makes it back-to-back birdies at the par-three third, though Spieth has dropped a shot.
Lowry +1, Rahm +1 (5)
Rahm dropped another shot but has since drained a birdie to move back to +1.
The Open 2025 - Round Three
12:40
,
Chris Wilson
Who else made the cut?
12:33
,
Chris Wilson
These are the players who’ll start the day with the belief that they still have a real chance here:
T10 Tony Finau -4
T10 Nicolai Højgaard -4
T12 Keegan Bradley -3
T12 Jordan Smith -3
T12 Rory McIlroy -3
T12 Sam Burns -3
T12 Lee Westwood -3
Mickelson birdies!
12:29
,
Chris Wilson
A solid putt for Mickelson on the third and he moves to -1.
Elsewhere at Royal Portrush
12:27
,
Chris Wilson
Corey Conners has moved to -3 alongside Henrik Stenson, with both players at four under for the day. The Canadian is on the 14th, with Stenson on 10.
Wyndham Clark and JJ Spaun are doing well too, having bagged two birdies in the first three to both move on to -2.
And Jesper Svensson is the other big mover of the morning, with the Swede landing three birdies across the first six to move to -2.
Rahm and Lowry on to +1
12:17
,
Chris Wilson
Lowry +1, Rahm +1 (2)
So Lowry did take a penalty drop in the end, and he comes away with a bogey six thanks to a 13-foot putt.
Rahm makes par on the second and both of them are one over through two.
Tee times
12:11
,
Chris Wilson
Some notable tee times from the pairs on -1 and -2:
1:05 Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas (USA)
1:15 Aaron Rai (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA)
1:40 Ryggs Johnston (USA), Xander Schauffele (USA)
2:00 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Justin Rose
2:10 Harry Hall, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa)
Mickelson, Spieth & Hovland underway
12:07
,
Chris Wilson
Phil Mickelson got underway around 15 minutes ago, while Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland have just teed off.
The Open 2025 - Round Three
12:01
,
Chris Wilson
More from Jack Rathborn at Royal Portrush:
“I’m going to go back,” says a surprisingly calm Lowry. Fans ushered away, but the Irishman attempts to stop the Marshall and allow them a better look. “No, they’re fine.”
He flicks the ball up with his wedge out the gorst and juggles it a few times. The fourth is almost perfect but trickles off the green and down into a bank. He’s staring at a six here.
Another birdie for DeChambeau!
12:00
,
Chris Wilson
DeChambeau has continued his good start, falling a little short with an eagle putt but tapping in for the birdie.
He moves to -2 with six holes played.
Birdies for Spaun & Johnson
11:55
,
Chris Wilson
Spaun -1, Johnson -1 (1)
These two have just teed off and they both begin with birdies to move into the red.
They follow a similar line as they go right-to-left to sink from a few feet.
Johnson was one of the big winners from yesterday of course, having sat at +3 on the 14th before birdieing three of the last four holes to make the cut!
The Open 2025 - Round Three
11:52
,
Chris Wilson
From Jack Rathborn at Royal Portrush:
Walking alongside Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm, you can tell how the Ryder Cup camaraderie binds this group together. Lowry, naturally grizzled after that two shot penalty on Friday, and Rahm, rather disgruntled at the distance between himself and leader Scottie Scheffler, not to mention a sloppy first hole today, walk side by side, bounding down the second.
You think these two will help build a path away from any lingering negative energy today. Lots of work to do, but the Irish fans have come out in numbers for Lowry, a wayward second on two shows how important patience will be today.
And it’s a provisional for Lowry on two, with what will be his fourth, and this one is left too. The Irishman is being tested today.
The Open 2025 - Round Three
11:45
,
Chris Wilson
Stenson -3, Kanaya -1
Garcia +1, Rahm +1
Garcia misses another birdie putt but it’s three pars to start with for the Spaniard.
On seven, Stenson has the chance for an eagle putt – and he drains it! He moves to -3!
Kanaya has his third birdie of the day too, moving to -1.
On the first, Rahm is struggling after finding a green-side bunker with his third shot, and though he produces a clever shot that rolls backwards towards the pin, he’ll have to settle for a bogey.
Birdie for DeChambeau
11:35
,
Chris Wilson
Bryson DeChambeau will need to shoot something in the mid-60s if he’s to have any chance going into the final round, but he’s doing well early on as another birdie putt is sunk to move him to -1 through five.
Lowry & Rahm teeing off
11:30
,
Chris Wilson
We’re moving into the next group to tee off, with those on level par getting their day started.
Lowry and Rahm are one of the first pairs in that grouping, with the major-winning duo looking to put themselves back in contention.
Movement in early pairs
11:26
,
Chris Wilson
Corey Conners is having a decent day out there so far, having moved to -2 after draining a 26-foot putt at the eighth.
Garcia almost starts with a birdie but has to settle for par.
Consecutive birdies for DeChambeau
11:13
,
Chris Wilson
Bryson DeChambeau has made up for that early dropped shot by following it up with back-to-back birdies, and he’s back up to level par.
Garcia teeing off
11:00
,
Chris Wilson
2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia is among the last of those on +1 to tee off today. He’s getting started now alongside American Andrew Novak, who is making his first appearance at The Open.
Who made the cut?
10:55
,
Chris Wilson
T17 Ryggs Johnston -2
T17 Harry Hall -2
T17 Ludvig Åberg -2
T17 Kristoffer Reitan -2
T17 Xander Schauffele -2
T17 Justin Rose -2
T17 Matthew Jordan -2
T17 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -2
T17 Oliver Lindell -2
T26 Marc Leishma -1
T26 Tommy Fleetwood -1
T26 Akshay Bhatia -1
T26 Justin Thomas -1
T26 Jason Kokrak -1
T26 Rickie Fowler -1
T26 Aaron Rai -1
T26 Lucas Glover -1
Little movement in opening pairs
10:44
,
Chris Wilson
Not a lot of positive change in the opening pairs, despite the conditions being a fair bit more appealing.
Stenson took par on the first but then birdied the second to move to level par alongside Takumi Kanaya, while Matsuyama has double-bogeyed the third to move to +3.
Straka has stayed at +1, while earlier on Corey Conners landed a birdie to move level par too.
Not a great start from DeChambeau either, as he goes out of bounds with the tee shot but recovers to only drop one shot. He’s at +2.
The worst performer so far today is Schmid, who is five over through five! He moves to +6.
Tee times
10:35
,
Chris Wilson
Below are the tee times for the group who start the day level par:
11:20 Riki Kawamoto (Jpn), Wyndham Clark (USA)
11:30 Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm (ESP)
11:40 JJ Spaun (USA), Dustin Johnson (USA)
11:50 Phil Mickelson (USA), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
12:00 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (USA)
12:15 Russell Henley (USA), Antoine Rozner (Fra)
12:25 Romain Langasque (Fra), Daniel Berger (USA)
12:35 Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Dean Burmester (Rsa)
DeChambeau is off
10:25
,
Chris Wilson
Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a superb 65 on day two to take himself from +6 to +1, is now teeing off for round three.
No real chance of winning, of course, but a repeat of yesterday’s round could actually keep him in contention if other things were to fall his way!
Not looking likely if Scheffler and Fitzpatrick’s performances yesterday were anything to go by though.
The Open Championship prize money: How much does the winner take home?
10:15
,
Chris Wilson
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.
Stenson gets started
10:05
,
Chris Wilson
2016 champion Henrik Stenson is teeing off along with compatriot Sebastian Soederberg, who is playing in his first Open Championship.
Who made the cut?
10:00
,
Chris Wilson
T34 Wyndham Clark E
T34 Matt Wallace E
T34 Jordan Spieth E
T34 Viktor Hovland E
T34 Dustin Johnson E
T34 J.J. Spaun E
T34 Daniel Berger E
T34 Antoine Rozner E
T34 Russell Henley E
T34 Jhonattan Vegas E
T34 Dean Burmester E
T34 Sungjae Im E
T34 Romain Langasque E
T34 Phil Mickelson E
T34 Jon Rahm E
T34 Shane Lowry E
T34 Riki Kawamoto E
Shane Lowry hits back after being handed two-shot penalty in second round of The Open 2025
09:50
,
Chris Wilson
Shane Lowry has been handed a two-stroke penalty at The Open 2025 following a review after his second round.
The R&A determined the former Open champion deserved a penalty after his ball moved before taking a shot on the 12th hole at Royal Portrush.
Lowry had driven his tee shot into the rough and could be seen taking a practice swing with some fans questioning whether the ball moved slightly.
Another pair starting the day
09:46
,
Chris Wilson
Sepp Straka and Hideki Matsuyama are teeing off for the day now too.
2021 Masters winner Matsuyama will be hoping to improve on his career-best finish of 6th at The Open, though there is little chance of Straka doing the same considering he finished tie for second at Hoylake in 2023.
Who made the cut?
09:40
,
Chris Wilson
T51 Bryson DeChambeau +1
T51 Henrik Stenson +1
T51 Hideki Matsuyama +1
T51 Corey Conners +1
T51 Thriston Lawrence +1
T51 Sebastian Söderberg +1
T51 Matthias Schmid +1
T51 Francesco Molinari +1
T51 John Parry +1
T51 Thomas Detry +1
T51 Adrien Saddier +1
T51 Sepp Straka +1
T51 Jesper Svensson +1
T51 Andrew Novak +1
T51 Nathan Kimsey +1
T51 Takumi Kanaya +1
T51 Sergio Garcia +1
T51 Justin Leonard +1
T51 Maverick McNealy +1
T51 Jacob Skov Olesen +1
First pair teeing off
09:35
,
Chris Wilson
Matthias Schmid and Corey Conners are teeing off now, as the first pair looking to climb up the leaderboards early in a blustery day in Northern Ireland.
Who made the cut?
09:23
,
Chris Wilson
In the end, the cut was established at +1 at Royal Portrush yesterday, with players including 2018 champion Francesco Molinari, first-day leader Jacob Skov Olesen and two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau just about sneaking in.
In total there were 20 players on +1, with a further 17 on level par. That group includes 2019 champion Shane Lowry and two-time major winner Jon Rahm.
The Open 2025: Tee times and third round schedule
09:08
,
Chris Wilson
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, all times Local):
9:35 Matthias Schmid (Ger), Corey Conners (Can)
9:45 Sepp Straka (Aut), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
9:55 Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), Adrien Saddier (Fra)
10:05 Sebastian Soederberg (Swe), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
10:15 Thomas Detry (Bel), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den)
10:25 Nathan Kimsey, Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
10:35 Maverick McNealy (USA), Thriston Lawrence (Rsa)
10:45 Justin Leonard (USA), John Parry
11:00 Andrew Novak (USA), Sergio Garcia (ESP)
11:10 Jesper Svensson (Swe), Francesco Molinari (Ita)
Scottie Scheffler delivers ominous reminder to take charge at The Open 2025
09:01
,
Jack Rathborn
It was a putt to send echoes around Royal Portrush, from all of 23ft for a precious par. Matt Fitzpatrick poured it in and avoided one final setback to show the contrasting nature of what an Open Championship test requires. Yet barely a few minutes later, the scale of the task for Fitzpatrick and the rest of the field became ominously clear.
Fitzpatrick is already a major champion, so he knows the merit of a shot-saver, as much as the spectacular strokes that lay the table before, notably those four consecutive birdies from 10-13 when he held a mesmeric control over that little white ball. But that putt only allowed him to cling onto the heels of Scottie Scheffler. A telling reminder of what he’ll need to trade blows with the world’s best player over the next 36 holes.
The soggy conditions around Royal Portrush saw Fitzpatrick emerge with a remarkable five-under-par round of 66 to sit at nine-under-par, bettered only by Scheffler at 10-under-par, as he pursues a second major to complement his US Open title. A feat that would cement his place, once again, in Luke Donald’s Team Europe for the Ryder Cup this September. Moreover, a second major title would catapult him into rare company. Multiple majors are just held in different esteem.
Identical twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard shine on day two at Royal Portrush
08:47
,
Jack Rathborn
Danish identical twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard made it a family affair on day two of The Open after both shooting under par to sit inside the top 10.
Rasmus, younger by a couple of minutes, carded a 68 which was one better than his sibling and lifted him to the group on five under. Nicolai is one back in a tie for 10th.
“It’s cool to see Ras playing well this week. I saw him quite early on the leaderboard, and I kind of wanted to follow it up,” said Nicolai.
“A little frustrated I didn’t manage to get to minus five where he is. I felt like the round had potential.
“I cheer him on and am happy to see him play well, but I also want to beat him. But it’s a good relationship and hopefully we’ll have a good weekend and maybe battle it out on Sunday.
I’m not going to change – Tyrrell Hatton comfortable with his angry reputation
08:30
,
Jack Rathborn
England’s Tyrrell Hatton insists he is too old to change his habits but is comfortable losing his “s***” on the golf course.
The world number 23, who finished fourth at last month’s US Open, has earned a reputation for expletive-laden rounds when things are not going to plan.
He has spent plenty of time defending his conduct, but there was little evidence of bad behaviour as he carded a 69 to move to five under and three off the lead in The Open at Royal Portrush.
Asked whether he had toned it down on Friday, the LIV golfer said: “I was still pretty vocal. Maybe I’m just having to do it away from the microphone.”
Offered the chance to give an example, he added: “No, it’ll get me in trouble. It was pretty negative stuff.
Brian Harman to continue his ‘very boring approach’ in bid for second Open title
08:22
,
Jack Rathborn
“They’re very different golf courses, but the golf is similar,” said Harman, whose pledge to take a “boring” approach will be familiar with fans who witnessed his performance at Royal Liverpool where his brilliant putting got the job done with very few fireworks elsewhere.
“I’ll approach the weekend the same way. The only thing I’m really worried about is the first tee ball tomorrow and then I’ll try to hit the next one up there close to the flag.
“If not, go to the second hole. It’s a very boring approach that I take.
“I’m not trying to be heroic or do anything crazy. I know that I’ve got the game to do it, and it’s just a matter of executing and staying in my own head.
“I would love to have a similar weekend and just play great the whole way through.”
Bryson DeChambeau tips Trump’s Turnberry as ‘worthy’ host of The Open
08:11
,
Jack Rathborn
Bryson DeChambeau has tipped President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course to host The Open in the future and end its inactive role on the R&A’s 10-venue British Open rotation.
The Scottish golf course has not hosted the prestigious event for 16 years, with its last iteration back in 2009.
And DeChambeau, who shot a stunning six-under-par round of 65 at Royal Portrush to make the cut and sit +1 for the major overall at the half-way stage, has backed Trump’s course to prove a worthy host once more.
“I look at it as a golf course,” said DeChambeau, whose round of golf with the president has amassed more than 15 million views on YouTube. “It’s one of the best golf courses in the world, and I’d love for it to be a part of the rotation.
The Open 2025: Tee times and third round schedule
08:00
,
Jack Rathborn
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, all times Local):
9:35 Matthias Schmid (Ger), Corey Conners (Can)
9:45 Sepp Straka (Aut), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
9:55 Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), Adrien Saddier (Fra)
10:05 Sebastian Soederberg (Swe), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
10:15 Thomas Detry (Bel), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den)
10:25 Nathan Kimsey, Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
10:35 Maverick McNealy (USA), Thriston Lawrence (Rsa)
10:45 Justin Leonard (USA), John Parry
11:00 Andrew Novak (USA), Sergio Garcia (ESP)
Full list of tee times:
The Open 2025
07:45
,
Jack Rathborn
Lee Westwood on dealing with heavy rain at The Open
07:30
,
Jack Rathborn
“Yeah, it's not ideal when you're playing the final hole. I thought we were going to play it down out of the right and it was going to be like 3-wood, 8-iron, something like that. It ended up being a good 3-wood and a 6-iron and then a really good save for par.
“Links golf is all about adapting and just trying to handle the conditions as best you can really. It was on and off all day. The wind switched. But it's helping out there, and there's loads of flags, so it's easy to see it switch. It's not like you get caught out, it just changed direction.
“I would say the trickiest thing is going from dry to really wet and dry to really wet, and it changes the speed of the greens dramatically. Our group -- I don't know what anybody else's group was like, but we'd go from having nice pace to two, three foot short; nice pace, two, three foot short. It was so hard to get used to after a downpour.”