ST ANDREWS (Scotland) – History beckons for England’s Tyrrell Hatton as he seeks to become the first golfer to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three times after equalling the course record on the Old Course with a 61 to lead by one shot on Saturday.
Hatton took advantage of a beautiful day on one of golf’s most venerated courses and signed for a magnificent round of 11 under par to lead the field on 22 under overall. Darren Fichardt remains the leading South African on 15 under par following a 70 at Carnoustie.
Of the other South Africans in the field, Robin Williams and former champion Branden Grace came through the third round on 13 under par, while Dean Burmester finished the day at 11 under overall.
It was a magnificent day of incredible scoring, with Hatton leading the way with his nine birdies and an eagle for what was also his lowest competitive round as a professional.
“I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I’ve shot 10 under on this course before so I really wanted to birdie the last and was trying harder than I normally would. It was a cool day. It’s really exciting. I know I’m capable of winning around here. This course has been pretty good to me. It’s a special place to play golf. There probably isn’t another course in the world where I play so well,” said Hatton, who won here in 2016 and 2017 and who also leads the team competition this week with his father, Jeff.
His nearest challenger is Nicolas Colsaerts on 21 under par, with the Belgian creating some drama of his own with an albatross on the 16th at Kingsbarns on his way to a 65.
A Saturday of remarkable scoring also included a 61 from Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at Kingsbarns – the second on this course this week – to see him finish on 17 under par.
And Rory McIlroy threw in a 29 on the front nine of the Old Course on his way to a 68 and a total of 10 under par. – Michael Vlismas
