Billy Horschel Withstands Brutal Open Championship Conditions To Take Lead After 3 Rounds

The Open Championship is known for links golf, pot bunkers and its classic yellow scoreboards. Oh, and weather. Lots of weather.

Well Saturday at Royal Troon delivered a classic Open Championship round, with brutal conditions forcing players into awkward lies, wild, off-target shots, and even unreachable par fours on a nearly impossible back nine. That's not an exaggeration; Dustin Johnson told the media after his one-over round that the back nine might be the toughest stretch in golf.

"The back nine, that's the hardest nine holes I think you could ever play in golf right now, into the wind and rain," Johnson said. "It's so long I could barely reach the par-4s, I had to smash 2 to get there, same with Brooks. That's how long it was playing."

The lead ping-ponged around, with Shane Lowry at one point sitting at eight under par. But in a sign of how difficult the conditions were in the closing stretch, he finished with a third round 77, including a five over 40 on the back nine. That opened the door for Billy Horschel, and he took advantage of it thanks to some spectacular short-game play.

On the 14th, Horschel had a difficult lie near the edge of a bunker, but left a remarkable shot just four feet away to save par.

He was even better on the 16th hole. Though his lie was marginally better, he was still stuck with an abbreviated follow through on wet sand. He nearly holed it, giving himself a tap in par.

Horschel closed out an incredible two under 69 to sit at four under for the tournament, and a double bogey on the 18th hole from surprising contender Daniel Brown gave Horschel the outright lead heading into Sunday.

TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 20: Billy Horschel of the USA during the third round of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, on July 20, 2024, in Troon, Scotland.  (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Plenty Of Storylines Heading Into Sunday At Open Championship

Brown has made himself something of a fan favorite around the galleries at Royal Troon. Frequently seen smoking cigarettes, Brown also paused while walking up the 18th hole to take selfies with fans. 

Real man of the people.

World number one Scottie Scheffler has been frequently frustrated with the conditions, repeatedly showing surprise as shots came up short or didn't get the extra roll to funnel down to the hole. After a frustrating missed four footer on the 15th lead to a bogey though, Scheffler recovered with an amazing three wood on the 238-yard par-3 17th hole.

Somehow, despite having one of the worst putting performances in the field, he sits just two shots off the lead heading into Sunday. And that's not an exaggeration. Per Data Golf he lost over three strokes to the field with his putting on Saturday.

The Open Championship's strokes gained calculations put Scheffler at 115th in strokes gained putting through the first three rounds. First in approach and 18th off the tee, of course.

Heading into the final round, it's anyone's tournament. Xander Schauffele has been quietly consistent and is one of six golfers at three under. Scheffler is lurking at two under, and even with a six over third round, Shane Lowry's still just three shots back.

Even Adam Scott and Justin Thomas are hanging around, taking advantage of easier conditions earlier in the day to post five under and four under rounds.

There shouldn't be much rain, if any on Sunday, but with winds expected to continue, scoring could once again be high. But after an impressive, balanced performance through the first three rounds, the whole field is looking up at Billy Horschel.