The challengers

The dream goes on for Justin Rose.

A 21st Open journey that started in a quiet corner of north Somerset could end with the Claret Jug.

Rose will start Sunday just a shot behind leader Billy Horschel after a battling two-over 73 in the third round at a sodden Royal Troon.

Few would begrudge the 43-year-old a second major, especially in the Championship he has given so much.

His love affair with The Open started back in 1998 when he won the Silver Medal at Royal Birkdale and it is a testament to his determination and longevity that he is still in the hunt for golf’s original Championship some 26 years later.

“These are days that I dream about,” said Rose.

“These are days I've been working hard for. These are days I've still been believing that I can have.

“The key is to do my best to make the most of it.”

Rose and Horschel seemed to bounce off each other in Saturday's penultimate pairing, resembling a match play showdown, and while it was Horschel who improved his overnight score, Rose was delighted to have kept himself in the mix.

Conditions worsened considerably in the afternoon and scrambling was the name of the game but Rose took everything in his stride.

“That was super tough,” he said. “I wasn't really expecting it, if I'm honest.

“I talked the first couple days about how well I was prepared for that southerly wind. I saw it coming. I practised with that in mind.

“Today I did not expect that. I kind of saw it was going to be southwest, maybe a little westerly, a little bit of rain in the afternoon.

“Obviously with the way the guys played this morning, I felt like it was going to be the type of day where you could go out and post a score, but it turned into an absolute survival test.

“I think I did a good job of surviving. All in all, I'm delighted to look at that leaderboard and say I'm one back going into tomorrow.”

Similarly embattled with Mother Nature was Daniel Brown. The 29-year-old, in his first major, was in the final pairing alongside overnight leader Shane Lowry, who finished the day one-under-par for the Championship after a six-over 77.

Brown continued to defy expectations and led the Championship at six-under with two holes to play before a deflating bogey at the 17th and cruel double-bogey at the last saw him join the cluster on three-under.

If it's any consolation, Brown at least escape the pressure that comes with leading The Open heading into the final round and can look forward to sharing his Sunday with world number one Scottie Scheffler in a fairy-tale two-ball.

“I’m proud of how I handled myself, but obviously a bit of a sting on the last two holes through not really hitting a bad golf shot,” he said.

“Links golf got the better of me there, but overall I am pleased.”

Brown is bidding to become just the second Open debutant to win the Claret Jug this decade, following Collin Morikawa in 2021, and not once has he looked overawed by the occasion.

“Obviously it's not a normal week, but I feel like mentally I've been in a place where I've treated it like a normal week on the DP World Tour,” he said.

“I've not made it feel any bigger than what it is, but it is a lot bigger, obviously.

“The way I've handled myself today, I think I can have a good go tomorrow. If you'd have told me I was going to go into the final round of the Open one or two shots back, I would have ripped your hand off.”

The weather could not have been more different in the morning, as blue skies and bright sunshine made scoring favourable, offering those a few shots back a chance to make up ground.

South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence led the way, shooting a week-low 30 for the front nine on his way to a six-under 65, elevating his Championship score to three-under and earning a place in Sunday’s final pairing alongside Horschel in the process.

“Obviously I had the perfect conditions on the front nine and just took full advantage of it,” he said.

“I had a pretty aggressive game plan starting from Monday, Tuesday and was hitting a lot of drivers. I executed very well, didn't miss a fairway on the front nine and made a couple of putts.

“I'm going to just try to do the same thing, be aggressive and try to win a golf tournament.

“It is moving day, as they say, and I definitely did it well.”

A spate of Americans feature among the chasing pack with Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Xander Schauffele also at three-under and Scheffler just a stroke further back after a frustrating day on the green.

Schauffele, who is chasing a second major of the year, felt the mental test of Royal Troon was unlike anything he had experienced previously.

“I literally smoked a 3-wood a little off the heel and thin into the wind and rain and it went 218 yards or something like that. So that was pretty humbling,” he said.

“It is a true test. It's a long day, and you and your caddie are basically a team. He's going to need an extra arm. I at times need an extra hand.

“We basically just plod our way around the property. You try to get lost in the process and fortunately we were able to do that on a tough day like today.

“I'll let myself dream tonight.”