The Open 2024: final round updates – live

Alex Noren has been on the fringes of the action all week, without ever quite getting involved. The Swedish veteran birdies 1 and 3 to rise to level par. Timing his run towards the heat of battle perfectly? Well, like Jon Rahm before him, he’s probably a little too far back, given the sheer number of players ahead of him … but shoot something super-low, and you never know.

Jason Day’s approach at 10 comes up short of the green. It costs him his first bogey of the day. He drops back to +1. Joining him there, but moving in a more positive direction, Dean Burmester. The South African has birdied 2 and 7. He missed a series of short putts yesterday – four tiddlers across the piece, if memory serves – and that has proved the difference between a potential high finish and a genuine shy at the title. The small margins in golf.

Jon Rahm started within range, though, just about, six shots back. The erstwhile US Open and Masters champion has shown signs this week of rediscovering his major-championship mojo, and finally things seemed to have clicked. In spectacular style, too. He’s opened with three birdies on the bounce, having made a couple of big putts at 1 and 2, then wedging close at 3 to complete the set. The big Spaniard is right in the mix now. This is going to be one heck of a stramash at the top of the leaderboard this afternoon! Can. Not. Wait.

-4: Horschel
-3: Lawrence, Burns, Henley, Schauffele, Rose, Brown
-2: Scheffler
-1: Rahm (3), Lowry

Making Hay On The Front Nine exhibit B. It’s Jason Day, last year’s joint runner-up. The Aussie, an Open nearly man on a couple of occasions (see also 2015 at St Andrew’s), has just turned in 32 with birdies at 4, 6, 7 and 9. He’s level par for the championship. Too far back to harbour hopes of snatching the Claret Jug from under everyone’s startled nose, sadly. He’ll be ruing yesterday’s back nine of 40 strokes.

Now then, Troon hasn’t been as defenceless early doors like it was yesterday morning. This wind has seen to that. So there haven’t been as many birdie rampages. But there are exceptions, enough to suggest someone could make a proper tilt at the top from the middle of the pack. First up, let’s consider the very early clubhouse leaders Ryan Fox and Corey Conners. Fox carded 67 this morning, Conners 68. They’re both +5. Fox did most of his good work on the easier front nine, out in 32, but Conners spread his load more evenly, out in 34, back in 34. That’ll give succour to any challenger who fails to make sufficient hay going out, the usual method of shooting low at Troon.

The brisk wind is expected to keep up for most of the afternoon, but ease into the early evening. That might help matters should we require a playoff, and with the leaderboard so bunched, there’s a fair chance of one of those. Should there be a tie at the top after 72 holes, the players involved will play 1, 2, 17 and 18, with the lowest aggregate score winning. If that doesn’t find a victor, it’ll go into sudden death. For the record, there have been two previous Open playoffs at Troon, Mark Calcavecchia beating Wayne Grady and Greg Norman in 1989, Todd Hamilton seeing off Ernie Els in 2004.

Sir Nick Faldo - three times an Open champion, three times a winner at Augusta, arguably the greatest British sports star ever (yet so often strangely overlooked in such discussions) – is worth listening to all right. Here’s what he’s just told Sky Sports: “The number-one story is the weather, the wind … I think it’s brutal … it’s coming straight across the golf course … when they turn, and come down those last six holes, it’s a hard left to right for everybody … I think we’re going to see some drama around the greens … it’s going to be a scramble all the way to the finish.” You heard the man. Buckle up, people!

At one point yesterday afternoon, Shane Lowry led the Open at -8, one stroke ahead of debutant Daniel Brown at -7. Then the Postage Stamp happened, after which … well, the subsequent wind and rain didn’t help any of the leading pack either, and now the top of the leaderboard has concertinaed to the point at which you could make a great case for a dozen players, and a pretty good one for at least a dozen more. Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked after 54 holes …

-4: Billy Horschel
-3: Thriston Lawrence, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Daniel Brown
-2: Scottie Scheffler
-1: Shane Lowry
E: Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, Matthew Jordan
+1: Im Sung-jae, An Byeong-hun
+2: Shubhankar Sharma, Daniel Hillier, John Catlin, Sean Crocker, Chris Kirk, Laurie Canter, Alex Noren, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson

… and this is what today’s tee sheet looked like as a result (all times BST, GB&I unless stated). It’s on!

0735 Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Andy Ogletree (USA)
0745 Luis Masaveu -a- (Spa), Young-Han Song (Kor)
0755 Darren Clarke, Tom McKibbin
0805 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
0815 Rickie Fowler (USA), Aaron Rai
0825 Corey Conners (Can), Tommy Morrison -a- (USA)
0835 Brooks Koepka (USA), Marcel Siem (Ger)
0845 Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Jeung-Hun Wang (Kor)
0900 Jorge Campillo (Spa), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den)
0910 Matthew Fitzpatrick, Richard Mansell
0920 Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Kurt Kitayama (USA)
0930 Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Jordan Spieth (USA)
0940 Alex Cejka (Ger), Jacob Skov Olesen -a- (Den)
0950 Robert MacIntyre, Phil Mickelson (USA)
1000 Harris English (USA), Guido Migliozzi (Ita)
1010 Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Joaquin Niemann (Chi)
1025 Tom Hoge (USA), Adrian Meronk (Pol)
1035 Austin Eckroat (USA), Brian Harman (USA)
1045 Si-Woo Kim (Kor), Davis Thompson (USA)
1055 Abraham Ancer (Mex), Matt Wallace
1105 Jason Day (Aus), Max Homa (USA)
1115 Eric Cole (USA), Sepp Straka (Aut)
1125 Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Cameron Young (USA)
1135 Joseph Dean, Ewen Ferguson
1150 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Patrick Cantlay (USA)
1200 Min-Kyu Kim (Kor), Gary Woodland (USA)
1210 Padraig Harrington, Brendon Todd (USA)
1220 Matteo Manassero (Ita), Calum Scott -a-
1230 Dustin Johnson (USA), Collin Morikawa (USA)
1240 Jon Rahm (Spa), Alexander Noren (Swe)
1250 Laurie Canter, Chris Kirk (USA)
1300 John Catlin (USA), Sean Crocker (USA)
1315 Daniel Hillier (Nzl), Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)
1325 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Sung-Jae Im (Kor)
1335 Matthew Jordan, Justin Thomas (USA)
1345 Shane Lowry, Adam Scott (Aus)
1355 Daniel Brown, Scottie Scheffler (USA)
1405 Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele (USA)
1415 Sam Burns (USA), Russell Henley (USA)
1425 Billy Horschel (USA), Thriston Lawrence (Rsa)