On Saturday, Royal Troon was closed to spectators for the British Open. A lucky few took advantage of the opportunity… and then the rain came.
The first two days of the tournament were largely dominated by wind, with a bit of sideways rain. The wind knocked some big names out of the tournament, including Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. But on Saturday morning, those lucky enough to make the cut enjoyed a relatively benign course.
Justin Thomas, who swept the field on Friday with a 45 on the front nine, made six birdies in his first 12 holes on Saturday to get to 2 under par, five shots off the lead. He faded to par with two bogeys late in the game but was still pleased with his round.
“It was a great Saturday. I played really, really well, made some fantastic putts,” Thomas said afterwards. “I think it’s hard not to put too much pressure on yourself when you go out early on a Saturday in an Open. Sometimes you can do that.”
Another player who had a good Saturday was Si Woo Kim, who scored the first ace at number 17 in Royal Troon history:
And then there was Cam Young, who had one of the most treacherous stances you’ll ever see on Postage Stamp:
The morning round went to Thriston Lawrence, who shot as high as 7 under on the day before finishing 8 under to reach 3 under for the tournament. Adam Scott and Sungjae Im both recorded 5 under rounds to finish the day at 1 over par respectively.
The fine weather ended just as leader Shane Lowry teed off at 3.45pm local time, and within an hour rain was pouring down across the course. The best place to be in these conditions is the clubhouse, and many players on the course want to get back there as soon as possible.