There will be hairy moments from the leader on Sunday, though Harman has created room for error. Young, Rahm, Hovland and Jason Day all loom large over Harman's shoulder, but the final incline is significant. If he does not convert this one, it would match the largest blunder in Open history as Jean Van de Velde's infamous surrender from five ahead in 1999 remains.
The result was a stellar 2-under 69 and Harman's second career 54-hole lead in a major championship. More importantly, not a single bogey came in unison. Three additional birdies from the blade of Harman accompanied his first over the final 13 holes. Fleetwood couldn't keep pace with a short birdie miss from inside 6 feet, and Harman's lead was back to three. Or so we thought.Ī sense of calm engulfed Harman when two perfectly struck shots into the par-5 5th and allowed him to card his first birdie of the day. Fleetwood's grip began to tighten the stumble was going to turn into a full-on face plant. The Liverpool loyalists felt the tension. When Tommy Fleetwood converted a birdie effort on the second and Harman dropped another two holes later, the margin thinned to just two strokes. A bogey on the first saw his lead trimmed to three. It did not look to be the outcome for the entirety of the day as Harman's nerves surfaced immediately. The only problem is the race leader is not a member of the pack and remains well out in front. Heavy hitters Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young made their marks weaving through the peloton to position themselves for one last sprint on Sunday. The rain and windy conditions many expected were nowhere to be found, setting up a Moving Day filled with birdies and movement on the leaderboard.
Stepping on the first tee with his overnight lead trimmed to four, the 36-hole pace setter stumbled then surged his way to 12 under and a five-stroke edge heading into Sunday's deciding final round in Hoylake, England.
Royal Liverpool did not provide a warm welcome - both the golf course and gallery alike - but Brian Harman ultimately had the last laugh walking off the 18th green Saturday evening at the 151st Open Championship.
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