Herbert shares Open lead as Fox makes Saturday charge
ESPN’s live leaderboard had Lucas Herbert and Ryan Fox tied at 8 under during the third round of the 154th Open Championship.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Ryan Fox put an 8-under Saturday number on the board at Royal Birkdale, pulling level with Lucas Herbert at the top of ESPN’s live leaderboard during the third round of the 154th Open Championship.
The Open was still in progress in Southport, England, with ESPN listing Fox and Herbert at 8 under. Fox had completed his round, while Herbert was scheduled to tee off at 10:50 a.m. ET in the final group with Jackson Suber.
Herbert arrived at Saturday in front after a 62 that matched the record-low score for a round at a major, according to ESPN. Sam Burns also tied that major mark, and ESPN’s video headline said Herbert was “really proud” of equaling the record.
The leaderboard picture had already shifted before Herbert hit his first third-round shot. Fox, from New Zealand, was shown at 8 under after finishing 8 under for the day, while Australian Herbert remained at 8 under ahead of his tee time.
Behind them, ESPN listed Cameron Young, Ryan Gerard and Suber in a tie for third at 6 under. Young and Gerard were scheduled for 10:40 a.m. ET starts, while Suber was set to go out with Herbert 10 minutes later.
Bryson DeChambeau, Sam Burns and S. Kim were grouped at 5 under, according to the live leaderboard. ESPN reported that DeChambeau had been one shot behind Herbert before a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie moved him three off the lead.
The penalty left DeChambeau with ground to make up in a crowded chasing pack. Burns, one of the players tied to the record-low major round cited by ESPN, was scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. ET tee time.
The pack at 4 under
ESPN’s leaderboard showed a large group at 4 under, including Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Ludvig Åberg, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler and others.
Eric Cole and Schauffele had already finished at 4 under overall, according to ESPN’s live board. Kazuma Kobori was listed at 4 under through 17 holes, Matsuyama at 4 under through 16, and Im at 4 under through 11.
Åberg and Lowry were both shown at 4 under through five holes, with Fleetwood even for the day through four. Scheffler was listed at 4 under overall and even for the day through three holes.
Further down, ESPN listed Josele Ballester, Max Homa, Alex Smalley and Justin Thomas at 3 under. Ballester, Homa and Smalley had completed their rounds, while Thomas was shown through 16 holes.
The championship is being played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with a listed purse of $17.75 million. ESPN’s event page listed coverage on NBC, USA Network and Peacock.
With Herbert still to begin and Fox already finished, Saturday’s board had one clean question left for the field: who would carry the lead into the final round on Sunday?
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.