Adam Scott among 5 players to take complete advantage of The Open’s Moving Day

July 20, 2024

The moving day at the British Open revealed just how easy and yet how difficult Royal Troon is.

Players playing in the morning took advantage of the poor conditions, but the afternoon featured a completely different look at the golf course.

Shane Lowry struggled late and finished with a 6-over 77 to drop to ninth place. He had a three-point lead going into Saturday’s round. Daniel Brown remains in contention for the win. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and reigning PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele are both well positioned to win their second major championships.

But which players took advantage of Moving Day the most?

Let’s take a look at five players who will make Championship Sunday even more interesting thanks to their outstanding rounds on Saturday.

Five players who took advantage of the Open moving day

Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas did a complete 180-degree turn from Friday to Saturday, losing the second round by 45 strokes. But in the third round, the former Alabama Crimson Tide player shot 31 through the first nine holes.

He improved to six under par for the day before dropping off at the 13th and 15th holes, but signed with a four-under 67 to fall 10 strokes behind less than 24 hours later. That score has lifted him to 38th on the leaderboard, where he is currently four strokes behind the leader.

Thomas did well enough to be one of 12 players with a score of par or better after three rounds of play.

Sam Burns

Sam Burns was another player who got back into form at Royal Troon on Saturday, shooting a six-under 65 to move him up to 36th place at three under par.

The former LSU Tiger is in contention to win, one stroke behind the leader. Barnes started with a bogey on the first hole, but then recorded five birdies over the next eight holes. He lost another stroke on the 10th hole, but then recorded consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. Barnes’ eighth birdie of the day came on the par-5 16th hole, putting him in great position heading into the final 18 holes.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott shot a five-under 67 on Saturday to move into an impressive 50th place on the leaderboard. Heading into the final round, he’s tied at even par and in position to win.

Scott finished second to Robert MacIntyre at the Genesis Scottish Open last week. Can he find a way to win this week? The 44-year-old made the most of an early tee time.

He had six birdies and one bogey on the 15th hole, and if he can carry this momentum into the final round, Scott could shock the world and win his second major championship.

Thriston Lawrence

Thriston Lawrence finished last at the British Open on Saturday, shooting a five-under 65 to climb to 34th on the leaderboard.

Lawrence had six birdies in his first eight holes to finish in 30 strokes, his seventh birdie on the 11th hole, but his only fumble was a bogey on the par-4 13th hole.

The South African shot 65 to move into the final group with Billy Horschel, but will it be enough to win his first major?

Billy Horschel

Billy Horschel is in the lead after 54 holes in the Open. He may be in the lead, but the former Florida Gators player fought hard to overcome the conditions and avoid making too many costly mistakes.

Horschel moved up the ranks for the second day in a row, but his focus helped him take control.

He shot a 2-under 69, a great score considering the playing conditions on Saturday, and his phenomenal short game helped him jump into the lead and hold on to it.

Horschel made eight of eight from the tricky pot bunkers, and he made a number of par saves to stay where he needed to be, bogeying the 11th and 18th holes, but everyone drops a shot at some point, so it didn’t detract from his day.

He finished tied for eighth at the PGA Championship and tied for 41st at the U.S. Open earlier this year, but now he has a chance to do something special: if he wins, it will change his career forever and add another chapter to his legend.