Portrush (Ireland), July 20 (IANS) World No.1 golfer Scottie Scheffler tightened his grip on an all-star leaderboard at The Open after a round of 67, which left him four shots clear at Royal Portrush.

Scheffler did not drop a shot in the evening sunshine and carded an eagle and two birdies to build an ominous advantage over those in the chasing pack. Haotong Li heads that group and will play in Sunday’s final pairing after carding a 69, while Matt Fitzpatrick could not match his Friday heroics and went round in level par to trail Scheffler by five.

Rory McIlroy had an exhilarating round of 66 and sits alongside Chris Gotterup and Tyrrell Hatton on eight-under-par, with reigning Champion Xander Schauffele a shot further back.

Scheffler was sitting pretty overnight but saw his lead eaten into by those playing before him, as scores of players cashed in on the warmer, more benign weekend conditions. Many of those had done so in the first five holes but Scheffler took slightly longer to warm up.

When he did, he soon began to motor. An eagle at 7 was followed by a birdie at 8 while the par-save at 11 – chipping down from thick rough at the top of a greenside bank and rolling in the 10-footer.

He navigated the final two holes with his customary metronomic accuracy and if his record when leading majors after 54 holes is anything to go by, Scheffler has one hand on the Claret Jug.

His three major wins so far have all seen him ahead at this stage and he has won by a combined 12 shots. Tiger Woods’ status as the only world No.1 to hoist the Claret Jug is hanging by a thread.

“Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I’ve put myself in a good position. This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I’m excited for the challenge of tomorrow,” said Scheffler.

–IANS

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