Fox putts for record 61 at Royal Birkdale in Open round three

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️Updates from the third round at Royal Birkdale

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Ryan Fox sends his drive at 18 into the second fairway bunker down the right. He’s not right up against the lip, but the face is a factor. However, when you’re hot, you’re hot, and he opts to go for it, whipping a short iron onto the front-right portion of the green! That was a gutsy move … and a slightly fortunate one, because slow-mo replays show his ball grazing the very top of the lip of the trap. A couple of dimples lower, and that was staying in. In fact, that’s an outrageous stroke of luck, because looking again, the very top layer of the revetted bunker had a small nick taken out of it … and that’s the portion he clipped! So a little bit to either side, and the ball was back at his feet too. He’ll have a putt for a record-breaking 61, albeit from long distance!

A dispatch from the Guardian’s golf correspondent Ewan Murray, straight from Royal Birkdale …

Bryson DeChambeau has arrived at Royal Birkdale, shortly after 2pm and less than 90 minutes before his tee off time. This will mean a short range session for the Open’s man of the moment. Then again, he was whacking balls out there in darkness last night so maybe he feels further practise is needless.

Mark Dardon, the chief executive of the R&A, has just appeared on Sky to assert DeChambeau’s penalty of yesterday evening was “clear cut.” Which leaves us all to ponder why neither Darbon nor any of his officials would field questions on the incident immediately after it happened.

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