Justin Rose has admitted that he was taken completely by surprise by what happened during his third round at The Open Championship, with the Englishman very much in contention to secure his second major title on Sunday.
Justin Rose is one of a raft of players sat on three under par heading into the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Troon after a remarkable day on the links in South Ayrshire.
Shane Lowry went into the weekend with a two-shot lead, with Rose one of those in a tie for second place. However, Saturday proved to be a miserable one for Lowry as he shot a 77 to leave himself three shots back of Billy Horschel.
There was a massive advantage for those who went out earlier in the day, with Sam Burns flying up the leaderboard from three over par to now sit one behind Horschel. The weather seemed to make the back nine incredibly difficult to negotiate, with drivers being taken on the par three 17th, while Horschel just about carried the ball onto the fairway with his driver on the last.
Justin Rose shares what shocked him about third round at The Open
It seems that the players were left stunned by the conditions, with Justin Rose telling Sky Sports (broadcast on 20/7; 20:24) that he did not expect the weather to become such a factor.
“I was not expecting that. I knew there was a bit of rain in the forecast and they were like a five to seven miles per hour breeze out the west. I was like okay fair enough and you were watching the golf this morning and everyone was four or five under par. This is a day to make sure you are on the front foot and playing well,” he said.
“And then that happened. That was so, so tough. I didn’t realise we were going to get the north west, with 15 miles an hour and rain today.
“I think the forecast took us by surprise and it turned into everything Royal Troon can throw at you.”
Perfectly poised heading into 2024’s final day of major championship golf
Of course, it was agonising to watch Lowry struggle and fall back into the pack, but his problems have set up a fantastic final day for the neutral.
The 2019 champion was five clear of those tied for fourth after the second round, while the same gap now covers the top 15 names on the leaderboard one round later.
That list includes Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, and Rose and Lowry – all of whom have major titles in the past.
So while some of Friday’s front-runners may not be entirely pleased, the weather has definitely set the stage for a mouthwatering final day of major championship golf for this year.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
