Rory McIlroy reckoned that he would need to shoot a final-round 64 to have any chance of catching the leaders in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. He proved himself a prophet as his closing 66 left him two strokes off Ryan Fox’s winning number.
A driving rain and heavy wind turned Friday’s round into a shambolic outing for many, as ski caps replaced baseball caps as the headgear of choice. When the weather settled down and the 54-hole cut was conjured, McIlroy and Padraig Harrington stood among those with at least a fighting chance of catching Richard Mansell, who had a four-stroke lead on Saturday evening.
Mansell cratered on Sunday at the Old Course at St. Andrews, seemingly a victim of the pressure, but Ryan Fox was there to assume the lead. McIlroy actually joined Fox atop the leaderboard after a nine-hole stretch in which he picked up six birdies. But that was before Fox was coming up on some likely birdies and before McIlroy stubbed his toe with a bogey at 17.
McIlroy settled for a share of fourth place, two strokes behind Fox. Harrington had a rather bland round, pitting three birdies against one bogey for 70. That left him tied for 17th place, six strokes off Fox’s score.
“I did everything that I wanted to do,” McIlroy said in reference to Sunday’s round. “I didn’t make birdie on 14, which sort of halted the momentum that I had, and then it was a bit of a struggle on the way in.”
Harrington’s 71 during Friday’s downpour was remarkable in and of itself. He finished the round at Kingsbarns a stroke under par.
“It was tough out there,” Harrington said after Friday’s round. “Ball really wasn’t going very far. Just had to keep your head in the game all the time. First hole of the day [on a shotgun start], 175 [yards] into the fifth [hole], and I’m hitting a 4-iron, thought I was being smart. I thought, ‘I’ll hit 4-irons, I’ll show these boys.’ We didn’t see it finish, it was 25 yards short. It was a shock.”
Neither Shane Lowry nor Jon Caldwell had Sunday tee times. Lowry sandwiched a 79 on Friday in between rounds of 70 and 69 to miss by three strokes, while Caldwell’s 68, 81 and 74 left him eight strokes on the high side.
PGA TOUR
Seamus Power began his 2023 season in decent fashion, earning a share of 30th place in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Miss. A third-round 67 joined three rounds of 71 to place him eight strokes under par for the tournament and nine behind the number that qualified for the playoff (won by Mackenzie Hughes over Sepp Straka on the second extra hole).
The Country Club of Jackson’s back nine is where Power did the bulk of his scoring. He ran off four birdies over a six-hole stretch there on Friday and birdied 14, 15, 16 and 17 there on Saturday.
Next up for Power is this week’s Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.
CHALLENGE TOUR
Ruaidhri McGee’s M.O. has been that of a fast starter who seems unable to carry his early momentum through a full season. He suggested in the Hopps Open de Provence that maybe he’s finally about to break through and finish the season well enough to advance to the next level.
McGee tied for ninth place in France, finishing the event 10 strokes under par and seven behind victor Joel Sjoholm. After beginning with a lackluster 72, he reeled off rounds of 68, 69 and 69.
McGee played the front nine like a maestro, suffering just one bogey. The backside was a different matter, with five bogeys and two doubles. A double bogey-7 at 18 on Sunday cost him a top-five finish and might have repercussions if he finishes just outside the top 20 after the final event. As things stand, he leapt four pegs to 43rd place on the Tour rankings.
Tom McKibbin dropped one spot to 15th place on the Tour rankings after finishing joint-48th here. He cleared the cut by two strokes after rounds of 73 and 72, and then made a major ascension with Saturday’s 66. Sunday’s 76, however, took the shine off the previous day’s work.
LPGA TOUR
Stephanie Meadow earned a share of 44th place in the Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Tex. She signed to rounds of 71, 71, 70 and 73, which left her a stroke over par for 72 holes and 19 off Charley Hull’s winning score.
A pair of double bogey-3s early in the tournament as well as four consecutive bogeys mid-round on Sunday held Meadow back.
Meadow is signed up for this week’s Mediheal Championship in Somis, Calif., while Leona Maguire takes another week off before the final push to the season.
