British Open 2022: Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland's Electric 3rd Rounds Hype Up Twitter

Rory McIlroy's stunning eagle on the par-four 10th and Viktor Hovland's bogey-free six-under 66 highlighted a phenomenal day for the new Open Championship co-leaders, who pace the field at St. Andrews with 16-under scores through three rounds.

Cameron Young, whose eight-under 64 proved good enough for the first-round lead, sits in tied for third at 12 under. He's there with Cameron Smith, who led the field at 13 under heading into the weekend but shot a one-over 73.

Reigning Masters winner Scottie Scheffler is hanging around in fifth after shooting a three-under 69 (-11). Si Woo Kim, the 2017 Players champion, is right there with him.

Here's a look at the top 10 and ties heading into the final round as well as highlights and reaction focused on McIlroy and Hovland.

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Open Championship Round 3 Leaderboard

T1. Rory McIlroy (-16)

T1. Viktor Hovland (-16)

T3. Cameron Young (-12)

T3. Cameron Smith (-12)

T5. Scottie Scheffler (-11)

T5. Si Woo Kim (-11)

7. Dustin Johnson (-10)

T8. Tommy Fleetwood (-9)

T8. Matt Fitzpatrick (-9)

T8. Adam Scott (-9)

Full leaderboard available at TheOpen.com.

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Highlights and Reaction

McIlroy drilled a 27-yard shot from the bunker on the 10th that turned the tide of this entire tournament. He caused an electric radio call too.

McIlroy moved into first at that moment and positioned himself to win his first Open Championship since 2014, when he took home the Claret Jug and the PGA Championship's Wanamaker Trophy.

The fans went wild on the adjacent 11th hole, and Scheffler and Dustin Johnson smiled after seeing the shot go in.

It was a fantastic sequence of events capped off by Hovland's own birdie to move into a tie for first at 15 under.

McIlroy's concentration in the moment deserves credit, especially considering that he needed to step away a few times before the shot.

Fans and analysts were hyped at the result.

Hovland was fantastic in his own right, especially with the crowd clearly in McIlroy's corner.

He nailed four straight birdies on the front nine to truly emerge as a major front-runner for the first time in his brief professional career.

A long putt on No. 4 helped the cause.

Hovland had a little luck along the way, particularly at No. 9, which featured an epic drive.

But a little luck is needed sometimes to win major tournaments, and his skill and fit for St. Andrews has Hovland in position to win.

His phenomenal three-wood on the 18th led to an easy birdie and a close in style.

Overall, McIlroy and Hovland created an epic day of golf, and now they will duel for the Claret Jug as a host of fans await.

Saturday's final duo of Young and Smith will now serve as the penultimate group out on the course.