World Number One Scottie Scheffler sits in pole position to claim his first Open Championship title after stretching his lead at Royal Portrush to four shots with a flawless third-round 67.
Scheffler, who won his third Major title at the US PGA Championship in May, went into the day with a slender one-stroke advantage before being caught at the summit after opening his round with six straight pars.
But he regained the outright lead in style with an eagle on the seventh and never surrendered it again as birdies at the eighth and 16th moved him to 14 under par.
Chinese star Haotong Li was his nearest challenger on ten under after mixing four birdies with two bogeys in his 69, with Matt Fitzpatrick another shot back in solo third.
Home hero Rory McIlroy was among the group on eight under following a stunning 66 which featured one of the shots of the day – a monster eagle putt on the 12th which sparked wild celebrations from his adoring fans.
There was also a memorable moment for John Parry, who produced the first hole-in-one of The 153rd Open, with his tee-shot at the short 13th taking three bounces before disappearing into the hole.
Scheffler has a great opportunity to add the third leg to his career Grand Slam quest on Sunday, having won the US PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament twice.
The American had to hang in there early in his third round, saving par from ten feet on the short third to cling on to a share of the lead.
His patience paid off at the seventh as he knocked in his ten-foot eagle putt before holing from even further out for a birdie on the eighth to move two clear.
Scheffler showed his battling qualities with two more par saves from around ten feet at the 11th and 14th to keep his card clean before birdieing the par-three 16th to climb to 14 under.
Pars at the closing two holes mean Scheffler takes a commanding four-stroke lead into the final round.
McIlroy will be in the penultimate group alongside Fitzpatrick, with Li and Scheffler following in the final pairing.
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