2023 British Open leaderboard breakdown: Brian Harman maintains advantage as Cameron Young, Jon Rahm contend

Harman retained his five-stroke lead on the field after another set of 18 holes at Royal Liverpool on Moving Day

Royal Liverpool did not provide a warm welcome -- both the golf course and gallery alike -- but Brian Harman ultimately had the last laugh walking off the 18th green Saturday evening at the 151st Open Championship. Stepping on the first tee with his overnight lead trimmed to four, the 36-hole pace setter stumbled then surged his way to 12 under and a five-stroke edge heading into Sunday's deciding final round in Hoylake, England.

The rain and windy conditions many expected were nowhere to be found, setting up a Moving Day filled with birdies and movement on the leaderboard. Heavy hitters Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young made their marks weaving through the peloton to position themselves for one last sprint on Sunday.

The only problem is the race leader is not a member of the pack and remains well out in front.

It did not look to be the outcome for the entirety of the day as Harman's nerves surfaced immediately. A bogey on the first saw his lead trimmed to three. When Tommy Fleetwood converted a birdie effort on the second and Harman dropped another two holes later, the margin thinned to just two strokes.

The Liverpool loyalists felt the tension. Fleetwood's grip began to tighten; the stumble was going to turn into a full-on face plant. Or so we thought.

A sense of calm engulfed Harman when two perfectly struck shots into the par-5 5th and allowed him to card his first birdie of the day. Fleetwood couldn't keep pace with a short birdie miss from inside 6 feet, and Harman's lead was back to three. It only stretched from there. Three additional birdies from the blade of Harman accompanied his first over the final 13 holes. More importantly, not a single bogey came in unison.

The result was a stellar 2-under 69 and Harman's second career 54-hole lead in a major championship. If he does not convert this one, it would match the largest blunder in Open history as Jean Van de Velde's infamous surrender from five ahead in 1999 remains.

The race may not be over, though. Young, Rahm, Hovland and Jason Day all loom large over Harman's shoulder, but the final incline is significant.

There will be hairy moments from the leader on Sunday, though Harman has created room for error. His competitors have no such luxury. It will take a flawless round from someone in the immediate chasing bunch to steal the title "Champion Golfer of the Year" away from Harman.

While everyone was tightening their grip Saturday trying to track down the headman, Harman did as well. It wasn't as noticeable as a course major record 63 or a local falling to the weight of heavy expectations, but it was equally as effective as Harman's grip resides not on his golf club but on the Claret Jug itself.

2023 Open Championship leaderboard, Round 3

1. Brian Harman (-12): Professional. Controlled. Composed. Those are among the many adjectives one can use to describe Harman's third round. What looked like an unsteady day became even keeled in short order. All the work, all the noise and all the birdies made by competitors around him were silenced with Harman's high percentage golf and the occasionally picked-off birdie. It felt as if the field threw the kitchen sink at Harman on Saturday, and he admirably fended knockout swipes and body blows. He just needs to stay upright and the Claret Jug will be his.

2. Cameron Young (-7): The 2022 Open runner-up is right there in a major championship yet again. It has been a rather disappointing sophomore campaign for the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, but Young's patented ball-striking returned in a massive way Saturday with a 5-under 66 being the result. It could have been even better as he missed three putts from inside 6 feet and hit the pin on the 16th only to see his ball settle 25 feet away instead of mere inches. A birdie on the par-5 finisher sealed Young's spot in the final pair alongside Harman, but the missed chances may have sealed his fate.

3. Jon Rahm (-6): After a frustrating first two days, Rahm turned on the jets Saturday morning. Eight birdies against 10 pars saw the former world No. 1 sign for the lowest Open round ever at Royal Liverpool, the first 63 in The Open since Shane Lowry in 2019 and his personal low major round. It could have been even better as the Spaniard missed four birdie chances inside 20 feet in his first four holes, but it is hard to complain when one stroke separates you from the lowest major round ever. He still has work to do if he is to claim his second major championship this season and the third (different one) of his career, but Rahm's presence on the first page of the leaderboard holds weight.

"I think it stands for itself," said Rahm. "It's pretty obvious. It's my lowest round on a links course and it's an Open Championship, right? Also, the lowest round shot on this course. Yeah, it feels really good, but it's a lot of work to do tomorrow."

T4. Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Antoine Rozner (-5): Major championship meddle is often measured on Sundays, but Saturdays can be just as crucial. The young Norwegian has once again given him a chance to nab his first major as a patient approach in Round 3 allowed him to pick up six birdies against one dropped shot. Hovland's first taste of contention came at this championship last year, and a successful raise of the Claret Jug feels right given his rise this year both on the PGA Tour and this stage.

"I feel like I've had a lot of good weeks the last year where I really haven't felt like I've played amazing golf," said Hovland. "I haven't played where everything feels like -- sometimes I'm maybe fighting a shot or trying to bunt something out there off the tee and not really swing as loose or free as I would have liked. To be able to put myself in position to win tournaments with not my 'A' game, I think that's been really cool."

T9. Alex Fitzpatrick, Shubhankar Sharma (-4): He is not the first Fitzpatrick to come to mind, but Alex is the first Fitzpatrick on the leaderboard. Matthew's younger brother was stunning in Round 3 carding a 6-under 65, setting up a massive 18 holes for someone who ranks outside the top 500 in the world and is currently on the Challenge Tour. The young Englishman may be too far behind to contend for an unlikely major championship, but he still has plenty for which to play.

T11. Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Thomas Detry, Matthew Jordan, Nicolai Hojgaard, Emiliano Grillo (-3): McIlroy teased once again. The four-time major champion gave himself five birdie chances inside 12 feet on his first five holes and was able to convert three to put a jolt in this championship. With Harman struggling off the bat, McIlroy asserted himself as a candidate to chase him down. Unfortunately, Rory's birdie on the par-5 5th proved to be the final of his day as he played his last 13 holes in 1-over fashion to fall off the pace. The putter will take the blame, but the driver got looser as the day progressed and handcuffed him more times than not – namely on both the back-nine par 5s.

Rick Gehman and Greg DuCharme discuss moving day at the 151st Open Championship. Moves were made, but Brian Harman's lead is still massive with 18 holes remaining. It's storylines, scorecards and betting favorites. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

[Jul 22, 2023 at 1:55 pm ET · Kyle Porter]

Sepp Straka has a chance to make this interesting

That's not a headline I ever imagined typing this week, but he's a t6 under, six back of Harman and can go low on these last three holes to get within striking distance (if Harman falters). 

Current board.

Harman: -12
Young: -7
Rahm: -6
Straka: -6

[Jul 22, 2023 at 1:41 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Young posts -7 and likely a spot in final pair

Last year's runner up was stunning Saturday. It was an absolute flush factory from Cameron Young who signed for a 5-under 66 to trim Brian Harman's lead to five. What Harman does over the next hour will be huge for this championship. If he makes birdies on the final two par 5s, this thing is on ice. If he drops a shot over the final four, we have a ballgame. 

[Jul 22, 2023 at 1:17 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Harman extends lead to six

The overnight leader tacks two straight birdies to get to 12 under and six clear of the field. Cameron Young and Jason Day will aim to cut this deficit by day's end, but Brian Harman is looking mighty comfortable from tee to green at the moment. This has been a very impressive display.