A generous sun, a moderate wind, spectators in Bermuda shorts ... Funny scenery for a British Open. The survivors of the cut, however, scored less than the day before on an unarmed links the two previous days. Organizers, upset to see the birdies falling like flies, hardened the venerable Royal St George's course with intricate flag positions and firmer greens than the first two days. After setting a record for the Open in the first two laps by scoring -11, leader Louis Oosthuizen was a little less royal this Saturday. Everything was off to a good start. By making a birdie at 9, the winner of the 2010 edition had taken two steps ahead, before losing a little of his splendor. After 44 holes he had only made one bogey.He committed two in his last seven holes, before resuming his irresistible march forward with a birdie surveyed at 16. In the end, a solid card of 70 (-1) this Saturday and a retained leadership (-12 total) .
Reverse trajectory for Collin Morikawa.
At +2 after six holes, without having touched a green in regulation, the prodigy woke up to sign four birdies on the last twelve holes, without another bogey.
The birdie on the par 5 of 14 allowed him to rejoin the lead, tied with -11 with Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth.
He will still share his game with the leader on Sunday.
Spieth got stuck in the finale
Texan Jordan Spieth offered two faces on Saturday. Flamboyant during the first nine holes (-3), he lost the pace on the return (+2), with two consecutive bogeys and a three putts for a sad conclusion. With a score of 69 (-1) and -9 total, however, he remains more than ever in the race for a second coronation for the British after 2017. No wonder to find the Texan at the top of the bill. His stats speak for him in this tournament.
American Scottie Scheffler and Canadian Corey Conners are also on the lookout four shots behind the leaders (-8).
With a 66 (-4), bogey-free, Conners posted the second best card of the day (behind Robert Macintyre -5) after having notably made three birdies from 12 to 14. Conners jumped from 17th to 4th place .
He could create a sensation on Sunday.
Just like his compatriot MacKenzie Hugues (-7 after 54 holes).
The very comfortable South African Dylan Frittelli, putter in hand, also shares 5th place at -7 with US Open winner Jon Rahm, still in the game for a US Open - British Open double in the match. 'the same year.
Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson weren't there
In ambush on the eve of Moving Day, the two American stars lost ground this Saturday.
The title goes away for them.
Dustin Johnson, mired in the roughs, turned the first eleven holes in +5, before recovering a little late in the game with two birdies.
Too little, too late.
His 73 of the day (+3) took him away from Oostuizen to -4 overall in 18th place.
Brooks Koepka, four-time winner in Major, is content with a 72 (+2), which relegates him even further to 25th place at -3.
Rory McIlroy will also not be in the game on Sunday to win a second British Open.
Brilliant during a go tacked in -5, the Northern Irishman stuck on the return with a 38 (+3) and a card of 69 (-1) which left him in the soft underbelly in 41st place at -1 total.
Rozner's very good Moving Day
For his first British Open, Racing player Antoine Rozner narrowly crossed the cut at +1. Thanks to a very good card this Saturday of 67 (-3), the 82nd world, author of 5 birdies for 2 bogeys, made a small jump in the ranking of 33 places to find himself in 33rd place. Something to satisfy the rookie: “
I'm very happy with my score. My game was fantastic, he congratulated himself at the microphone of Golf +. My first few holes were amazing and it put me right in there. I hardly missed a single shot. Four putts stayed short in the line, it didn't matter that I had a huge score
. "
In the top 5 after the first round, Benjamin Hebert, the other tricolor survivor of the cut, fell into line after his 74 (+4) on Friday. This Saturday, after a complicated start with three bogeys in six holes, the Briviste fought well to return an honorable card of 71 (+1), thirteen strokes behind the leader in 53rd position (+1).