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There are not many things Rory McIlroy has not accomplished in his career. Winning in Scotland is one of them. The 34-year-old maintained his one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 2023 Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club with a third-round 67. He stands at 13 under with a motley crew of pursuers that includes last year's runner up Tom Kim, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy's Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry all hot on his heels.
It could have been a much more comfortable margin for McIlroy with 18 to play. Reaching 14 under for the tournament with a birdie on the par-5 10th, the four-time major champion limped to the finish line playing his final eight holes in an over-par fashion to sit at 13 under. This hiccup has let the field back into the tournament, but make no mistake, McIlroy is still firmly in control in his final tune up before returning to Royal Liverpool -- the site of his 2014 Open triumph.
McIlroy will go for his 24th career victory on the PGA Tour on Sunday and would pull him alongside Dustin Johnson and Gary Player for 26th-most all time. It will have to be earned as McIlroy will not only have to contend with some of the best and brightest in professional golf but also Mother Nature. With sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts north of 40 expected, McIlroy will need his A game if he is to add another chapter of history to his career story.
The leader
1. Rory McIlroy (-13)
It says plenty about McIlroy that he has yet to have his full game cooperate for an entire round, and yet, he leads. McIlroy's putter was a problem Friday, and Saturday it was his iron play. After striking a sizzling 6-iron to inside 10 feet on the par-5 10th, McIlroy ran into trouble with his scoring clubs. Leaking approach shots too far right one too many times, the Northern Irishman fell in love with fading his golf ball when his natural draw would have sufficed. A back-nine 36 that saw him lose roughly two strokes on approach over the final eight holes was the result.
Other contenders
2. Tom Kim (-12)
T3. Brian Harman, Tommy Fleetwood (-11)
T5. Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, J.T. Poston, Eric Cole, Byeong Hun An (-10)
T10. Max Homa, Harry Hall, Tom Hoge (-9)
Another week, and another tournament where world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is just hanging around. He got punched in the mouth early in his third round when he made a double bogey on No. 2, but he persisted. Playing his final 11 holes in 5 under, Scheffler went from a touchdown and extra point behind to just a field goal heading into the fourth quarter. His historic top-12 streak looks to be safe, but the Texan should have eyes on something more as despite this prolonged consistency he remains winless since his dominant Players Championship title in March.
"I think if you flipped the round around the other way, I would feel a little bit bad about my positioning," Scheffler said. "But when you have it the way I did today where you have the good finish and stealing at least two shots on the last two holes, definitely a good feeling. I think at one point in the round I was eight or nine shots back and not really in the tournament. So to be able to hang in there and have a good back nine to get myself back into it the tournament it was a good feeling."
Open exemptions on the line
The top three players not otherwise exempt will gain entry into the 151st Open. This includes PGA Tour rookie Eric Cole who made the most of his Moving Day with a 6-under 64 and finds himself inside the top five with 18 holes to play. Cole has become the iron man of the PGA Tour – stealing the title from Sungjae Im – and looks to make another big splash on the major stage. He was the last man in the field at the PGA Championship only to sleep on the lead Thursday night and finish inside the top 20.
Will the weather finally show up?
Steady winds in the 20-mph range with gusts north of 40 are expected to engulf The Renaissance Club. This could lead to a topsy-turvy leaderboard filled with big numbers from the leader and chasing pack. Tee times have been moved up and split tees have been implemented in hopes of skirting the worst of it, but expect the Scottish countryside to bite back Sunday.
"I'd like to not get too far away and see what the conditions bring," said Fleetwood. "If it's rough, it's rough. If it's nice, that will do, too. You have to play it no matter what. But I'm happy after the first sort of 26 holes of the tournament to be in this position, I'm very pleased with it."
2023 Scottish Open updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Rory McIlroy: 13/10
- Tom Kim: 5-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 7-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 15/2
- Brian Harman: 14-1
- Shane Lowry: 16-1
- Max Homa: 30-1
- Byeong Hun An: 35-1
- Eric Cole: 35-1
- J.T. Poston: 35-1
The weather was supposed to roll into the area Saturday, but players were treated with ideal conditions. That is unlikely to happen two days in a row as a hectic final round should be in store. With this in mind, let's side with Scheffler at 15/2. He ranks second in strokes gained tee to green behind only McIlroy but is striking his irons better than the 54-hole leader. Putting will be more difficult in intense winds, and that only plays into the hands of Scheffler who has struggled this season with the wand.
Rick Gehman and Greg DuCharme recap Saturday action at the Genesis Scottish Open where Rory McIlroy takes a slim lead into Sunday. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
