Dunne Follows Bobby Jones

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Paul Dunne shares the lead with 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen and Australia’s Jason Day going into the final round of The Open Championship at St Andrews.

However, just one shot behind the leading trio, Jordan Spieth's bid for the third leg of an unprecedented calendar grand slam remained firmly on track after a breathless third round.

Masters Tournament and US Open champion Spieth could be denied a place in the record books by an equally remarkable performance after Dunne claimed a share of the lead.

Days after being mistaken for Spieth by fans seeking autographs due to their identical clothing, Dunne carded a flawless 66 on the Old Course to finish 12 under par alongside playing partner Oosthuizen - whose win in 2010 came last time The Open was staged at St Andrews - and perennial Major contender Day.

Spieth also shot 66, with 2007 and 2008 champion Padraig Harrington a shot further back on ten under after a superb 65.

Nine players were tied for sixth on nine under, including another amateur in American Jordan Niebrugge, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott, along with England's Danny Willett, who led outright after ten holes but drove out of bounds on the 14th.

Dunne is the first amateur since the legendary Bobby Jones to lead The Open after 54 holes, the American going on to lift the Claret Jug at St Andrews in 1927.

Three years later, Jones became the last amateur winner of The Open to date at Royal Liverpool and went on to complete the "Impregnable Quadrilateral" of Amateur Championship, Open Championship, US Open and US Amateur titles.

Paul Dunne Factoids

Started golf when he was 10 and began playing "properly" from age of 12.

Now 22, he booked his place at the Open through final qualifying at Woburn, finishing ahead of the likes of Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie, having done exactly the same 12 months earlier to secure his debut in the event at Royal Liverpool. However, he almost missed his tee time for qualifying this year after not allowing enough time for the shuttle bus to get him to the 10th tee.

Won the 2010 Irish Youths Amateur Championship title, following in the footsteps of Open champions Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen, who won his Claret Jug at St Andrews.

Aiming to become the first amateur to win the Open since Bobby Jones in 1930. He is also in line to become the first Irishman to win the silver medal, awarded to the leading amateur making the cut, since a certain Rory McIlroy at Carnoustie in 2007.

Graduated from the University of Alabama in business finance in April. Fellow Irishman Alan Murray coached him at university and is caddying for him this week.

Plans to turn professional later in the year after the Walker Cup, which he is trying to qualify for having been included in a provisional 20-man squad.

Wears same apparel as two-time major winner Jordan Spieth, whom he leads by one stroke, and has been mistaken for the calendar year Grand Slam-chasing American more than once this week.

St Andrew's Needs Work - GMAC

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Graeme McDowell has suggested the Old Course at St Andrews may need some work to ensure it remains Open Championship standard.

There has been some discussion throughout the week as to whether the 'home of golf', as playing and equipment standards continue to improve, could become too easy for the game's elite

The reputation of the Old Course was defended by Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A, the organisers, but with the championship returning to St Andrews every five years, the debate is likely to continue.

"When you see the type of power that these guys are using and putting on the golf ball, you start wondering what they can do with it to keep it up to modern times," said McDowell after completing his third round.

"The bunkers are just not really in play enough."

Due to the course's proximity to St Andrews town centre and the North Sea, there is little room to expand but McDowell does not think making holes longer is necessarily the answer.

He said: "I don't think you've got to go put a ton of yardage on this golf course.

"I think if this golf course just had a tiny bit more rough and the bunkers were slightly up to modern yardages, I think this golf course is still all there in front of you.

"Unfortunately driving the ball is just too easy this week.

"This is a fantastic golf course and it doesn't need a complete rejig, it just needs a little bit of reshaping here and there."

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, was among the early starters as the third round got under way a day late after interruptions for bad weather on Friday and Saturday.

He made a blistering start with four birdies in five holes, and four more followed, but two double bogeys, among six dropped shots, left him off the pace on two under and signing for 70.

The Northern Irishman said: "I played lovely, I really did, but I drove the ball disgusting.

"I'm not really quite sure what's wrong with my driving, everything else is pretty good.

"That's got to go down as an extremely frustrating and disappointing round, because it was there or thereabouts."

McDowell, 35, feels he is not far off rediscovering his best.

He said: "It's tough at times but there are signs of life. I've just got to wait, be patient. My time will come."

Harrington Makes Sunday Move

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Padraig Harrington's lowest round in a Major shot him into contention for another Claret Jug, and he believes his experience could be a significant factor on the final day at St Andrews.

The Irishman carded a seven under par 65 to leap to ten under and create a realistic chance of capturing his fourth Major as the tournament heads for Monday finish.

His previous best single-round score was back-to-back 66s on the weekend to win the 2008 US PGA, having also made that score at The Open way back in 2001 at Lytham.

Harrington's first win on a major Tour in seven years came at March's Honda Classic, which also needed an extra day, but it is his memories of getting the job done on the final day of a Major that he will be looking to use on Monday.

"I always wanted to shoot 65 on the Sunday of an Open - obviously there's another round to go tomorrow," he joked.

"I'll be certainly telling myself that I know what I'm doing and I've done it before and I'll be using it to help myself for sure, having done it twice before.

"Clearly things were going well for me today but I didn't want to look up (to the scoreboard) and see somebody getting away and be disappointed.

"When things are going well you might as well just keep your head down and keep going.

"There's no point in looking around and getting distracted. I didn't look until I finished off on 18."

The 144th Open Championship over the Old Course is shaping up to be one of the closest in a long time with the top of the leaderboard tightly packed.

In a week that produces mixed feelings for Harrington - a decade ago his father died and he pulled out of the event at St Andrews, while last year his coach Bob Torrance passed away – the 44 year old insists he will not be wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

"I'm not going to try to get emotionally involved in any shape or form," he added.

McIlroy Posts PGA Target

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Rory McIlroy described his second round in the US PGA Championship at Valhalla as “a job well done”.

The 25-year-old Northern Irishman followed up his opening 66 with a four-under 67 to move to nine under at the halfway stage.

World number one Rory McIlroy shot 67 to lead the US PGA Championship after round two.

McIlroy, who is bidding to complete a hat-trick of victories after his wins in The Open and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, made a slow start in torrential rain in Louisville.

He bogeyed the 12th, after starting at the 10th, but got back on track with birdies at the 13th and 15th and missed from six feet for another on the 16th.

But he made amends by holing from 30 feet for an eagle on the 18th and could have had another eagle on the seventh, missing from eight feet after a stunning five-wood approach.

That birdie took him to eight under and another birdie at the ninth left him two shots clear of the field when he completed his round.

“I think it was a job well done,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “The conditions were very tricky whenever the rain was coming down, obviously, and you sort of just had to wait for the moment when you had a break in the weather and you could sort of take advantage of the soft conditions.

“But I would have taken 67 going out this morning so yes it’s a job well done.

"The golf course was pretty wet so the ball is not running anywhere and whenever it's like that and no rain coming down it is very playable and you could make a score."

The world No 1 insists he is not thinking about lifting the trophy at this stage and is just concentrating on his game.

“Honestly, I am not thinking about winning,” added McIlroy. “I am just trying to think about trying to play solid golf and every shot at a time.

“I am sticking to my couple of little thoughts I have out there, a couple of little sort of trigger words that I have, and it has been working well. So I just need to keep doing that for the next two days.”

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McIlroy Eyes First WGC Title

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Rory McIlroy believes Firestone Country Club's South Course is set up for him to win his first World Golf Championship title this week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

His recent record in Akron has been good after three consecutive top ten finishes from 2010, and he will tee it up for the first time on Thursday since claiming his third Major crown at Royal Liverpool.

With the US PGA Championship coming up next week too, another solid performance in Ohio would prove ideal preparation for McIloy, who believes both courses over the next fortnight should play into his hands.

“It does seem that this course is going to set up well for me this week,” he said. “It's soft, and it's a long golf course anyway, so it's playing just a bit longer with all the rain that they've had.

“It's a course that I've done pretty well on before and I feel comfortable on, and these next two weeks here and at Valhalla as well, are courses that should set up well for me.”

McIlroy certainly enjoys playing at Firestone Country Club, especially thanks to the fact that with no cut, every player is guaranteed four rounds.

“I think this is one of the best courses we play all year,” he added. “I really look forward to this week as it's a great tournament for the players. I think all of us really enjoy it because of the atmosphere, because you're guaranteed four days of golf, and the fact it's on a great golf course.

“I've obviously had a bit of time to reflect after The Open and everything, but just decided I wanted to move on and move forward as there's a lot of big tournaments left this year, a lot of golf left to play, and a lot of things I still want to achieve.

“I definitely wasn't going to dwell on what I did at Hoylake, and I want to move on and start by playing well again this week.”

Finding his best form after Major success was certainly not a problem for McIlroy two years ago.

He went on to record multiple victories both sides of the Atlantic in the second half of 2012, a run that started with his victory at the US PGA Championship and culminated in a season ending triumph at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai en route to being named European Number One.

“For me, it hasn't been that difficult because I always feel like winning a Major is almost a springboard in a way,” he added. “Especially after the PGA at Kiawah, I didn't want to rest on that.

“I'd already had a pretty good year, but I wanted to just keep going. I set myself a goal that I wanted to win the FedExCup and The Race to Dubai. I also wanted to keep that number one position in the world.

“I think every time you have success, you need to reassess your goals because it's only two‑thirds through the season, and a lot of the goals that I set myself for the start of the year I've achieved already.”

McIlroy Opens Route 66

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Rory McIlroy enjoyed another flying start as he carded a flawless 66 to lead by one after the first round of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

The Northern Irishman made full use of benign early conditions at a sun-drenched Hoylake to post a bogey-free six-under-par round that saw him finish the day one ahead of Italy’s Matteo Manassero and two clear of group of seven players that includes world No 1 Adam Scott, Spain’s Sergio Garcia and the Molinari brothers Edoardo and Francesco.

Tiger Woods, champion at Hoylake back in 2006 and making only his second competitive outing since back surgery, showed encouraging signs with a three-under 69 that left him in a tie for ninth.

Although the sun remained a fixture throughout the day, a fresh breeze ensured conditions were markedly trickier for the later starters and it showed in the scoring.

Only Scott, Shane Lowry (68), Boo Weekley (69) and Yoshinobu Tsukada (69) were able to break 70 in the afternoon, while the likes of Bubba Watson (76), Ernie Els (79) and defending champion Phil Mickelson (74), who played together, finished well down the field.

But there were no such problems for McIlroy who produced his second lowest round in tournament, bettered only by his 63 at St Andrews in 2010.

Just as he did at the Scottish Open seven days ago McIlroy now holds the first-round lead, but will be conscious of a worrying trend this year that has seen him fall away badly in a number of second rounds, including at Royal Aberdeen last week when he followed an opening 64 with a 78.

"It's another great start and, yeah, looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow,” he said afterwards. "Whenever I go out and play on Thursdays there're not really many expectations.

"When you go back out on Friday after a good score you know what you can do, so you're going out with some expectations compared to Thursday. I think I've just got to approach it like that, start off trying to hit solid shots the first few holes and play my way into the round, just like I did today."

The 25-year-old produced a sumptuous display of ball-striking throughout as he fired birdies at the second, fifth and sixth to be out in 32 and then added three more coming home on the 10th, 12th and 16th.

By contrast Woods – who missed the cut in his comeback event at Congressional last month – looked distinctly rusty and listless early on as he bogeyed his opening two holes, equalling the amount he made in the first 36 holes of his 2006 triumph.

But a crucial eight-foot putt saved par at the fourth and, after then making birdie at the next, he found grew into the round, coming to life on the back nine with five birdies in six holes between the 11th and 16th, including holing from off the green at 11.

"I knew I could do it. That's why it was so important for me to play at Congressional," he said. "At Congressional I made some terrible mistakes mentally. My decisions weren't very crisp and I wasn't decisive enough. Today was totally different and consequently I shot a better score.

"I'm getting stronger, I'm getting faster, I'm getting more explosive. The ball is starting to travel again and those are all positive things."

The negative thing as far as Woods was concerned was a repeat of the distractions in 2006 from spectators' phones and cameras which led to a ban the following year.

He backed off his second shot to the 18th twice, stopping midway through his downswing the first time, and said: "There were a lot of cameras and we were backing off a lot of shots, it was tough. Unfortunately people don't put the phones on silent and some of the professional guys were getting on the trigger a little early."

Alongside Woods at three-under are fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, Marc Leishman of Australia and a trio of Japanese players; Tsukada, Hideki Matsuyama and Koumei Oda.

Lee Westwood finished the day as the leading English challenger following a one-under round of 71 that mixed four birdies and three bogeys.

Pre-tournament favourite Justin Rose had to settle for a level-par 72 having at one stage got himself to two-under, while neither Ian Poulter or Luke Donald could break par either as they both signed for rounds of 73.

One shot further back alongside Mickelson at two-over were the likes of Graeme McDowell, two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Victor Dubuisson, Brandt Snedeker and Ryo Ishikawa.

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2019 Open at Royal Portrush

The R&A are reportedly announcing a return of The Open Championship to Royal Portrush at a press conference set to take place at the links next Monday.

The course last held the championships in 1951 when English golfer Max Faulkner won £300 for a two-shot victory over Argentina’s Antonio Cerda. The R&A have scheduled British Opens up to 2016 at Royal Troon, with Royal Porteush expected to get the event in 2019.

A successful staging of the Irish Open in 2012 created record European Tour crowds, with all four days sold out at the venue.

Initially a lack of space to house the vast hospitality areas and ancillary services required for a Major Championship were thought to count against a return on the British Open to the course, but a plan to use holes on both the Dunluce and Valley courses at the 36-hole layout are believed to have made the plan viable.

The success of Irish golfers in Major Championships in recent years has also helped the bid, with Graeme McDowell, a member of the Rathmore club in Portrush, particularly vocal in praising the attributes of a course consistently rated amongst the best in the world.

Darren Clarke celebrated his British Open success in the town, while a 16-year-old Rory McIlroy shot to fame with a course record 61 on the Dunluce links during the 2005 North of Ireland Amateur Championships.

Nine-times major winner Gary Player, who won the British Senior Open at Portrush in 1997, also added his support to the campaign.

"It's one of the greatest golf links in the world and it would be most deserving to have the greatest tournament in the world played at Portrush," 

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R&A Play Down Portrush Reports

The Royal and Ancient says it remains "some distance" from being able to stage the Open Championship in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951.

Speculation that the Open may return to Royal Portrush has been circulating for some time, with reports claiming a deal had been done for 2019.

However the R&A's response on Twitter labelled these as "Portrush rumours".

"Discussions have been positive but we are still some distance from being able to take the Open to Northern Ireland."

Max Faulkner won the only Open to be staged outside England and Scotland at Royal Portrush 63 years ago.

A statement released by the R&A on Sunday confirmed that discussions were under way, but added that there was a long way to go before the plans may come to fruition.

"As part of our commitment to examine the feasibility of staging an Open Championship at Portrush, the R&A continues to discuss this at a conceptual level with Royal Portrush Golf Club and the Northern Ireland Executive."

The R&A denied reports last summer that the Open was set to be held at Portrush in 2018.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson admitted that while it is "a fantastic golf course," concerns remain over the infrastructure required to stage a major and he believes the current nine-course Open rota is "about right".

Despite the R&A's statement on Sunday, Northern Ireland's Tourism Minister Arlene Foster said that the success of this weekend's Giro d'Italia showed the province's ability to stage major sporting events.

"If they are looking on this week and they are seeing the way the entire community has taken to the Giro d'Italia," she added.

"Obviously if the R&A does make a decision to put Royal Portrush on the rota it will be a tremendous thing for Northern Ireland and a very positive sign we are moving confidently on and I think we want to send that message out."

The 2012 Irish Open at Portrush drew massive crowds and the likes of major champions Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell have been lobbying on the club's behalf.

It has also been suggested that the R&A would hasten its decision after Portrush emerged as a surprise contender to stage the US PGA Championship.

The PGA of America is studying the impact of holding the event outside the United States, with the earliest possible date in 2020.

It had been thought that Asia would be the most likely venue, but PGA of America president Ted Bishop said in November last year that he was interested in Portrush.

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Castle Stuart for McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy has confirmed that he will play in this season's Scottish Open for the first time in five years.

The two-time major champion hopes that competitive golf will be the perfect preparation for the following week's Open Championship at Hoylake.

Phil Mickelson defied history last year when he became the first player to win both the Scottish Open and the Open Championship in the same season.

The American edged out Branden Grace in a play-off at Castle Stuart last July before lifting the Claret Jug for the first time, and McIlroy hopes to emulate Mickelson as the Scottish Open is staged by Royal Aberdeen for the first time.

"It'll be my first time playing Royal Aberdeen," said McIlroy, who played in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2008 and 2009.

"I believe it's a great links with lots of golfing history. I'm really looking forward to the challenge it will present.

"To play some competitive golf on a links course will be great preparation for The Open Championship the following week.

"I can think of no better preparation for The Open, especially on a respected course like Royal Aberdeen. There will also be so many similarities I can bring to the following week's Open Championship."

Mickelson will defend his title at Royal Aberdeen, and McIlroy is delighted that sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management have again attracted a strong international field.

"The field is going to be very strong," he added. "Aberdeen Asset Management has done a great job in promoting the event and bringing some of the best players in the world there. And Phil will be back, of course, to defend his title.

"Phil winning the double last year made me realise that the Scottish Open is more than good preparation for The Open - he showed it was possible to win both weeks.

"The Scottish Open going back to a traditional links course was something that made a lot of sense.

"Yet you can play as much golf on links courses as you want, but until that's in a competitive environment you can never tell how ready your game will be.

"It really is so important, then, to get some competitive golf on a true, challenging links".

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Two Time Smurfit Champ in Major Chase

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Lee Westwood, winner of Smurfit European Open in 1999 and 2000, believes he knows what it takes to win a maiden major title after claiming the lead heading into the final round of The Open.

Westwood, who carded an eagle and three birdies in a round of one-under 70 on Saturday, is two clear of American duo Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan.

"I know what to expect tomorrow," said Westwood, who will partner Mahan in the final group. "I know what to do. I know what it takes. It's just a case of believing you are good enough to win.

"When you analyse it, you don't want to say it, but tomorrow is just another 18 holes. I'm playing well and putting well and there's no reason why I can't carry on.

"I have had lots of chances. I could have won four (majors) with the right things going my way. They are the things you feed off. You try to learn from the things you did wrong and put them into practice.

"I'll think about winning the Open Championship tonight at some stage, I'm sure. I don't see anything wrong with that - picture yourself holding the Claret Jug and seeing your name at the top of the leaderboard.

"But when it comes time to tee-off tomorrow I should be in the same frame of mind as I was today."

Westwood also held the 54-hole lead at the Masters in 2010 and shot a closing 71, only to be overhauled by Phil Mickelson's final round of 67.

"I thought I played nicely that day at Augusta, but Phil played great," he added. "Sometimes you play well and someone plays better."

Westwood has also come close to breaking his major duck in the Open, most agonisingly in 2009 when he three-putted the 72nd hole believing he needed a birdie, only to again fall short of a play-off - between Tom Watson and Stewart Cink - by a shot.

"I had a chance at Turnberry that I messed up a bit that I can fall back on, getting out of the zone and focusing too much on what other people are doing," Westwood added.

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