British Open 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Saturday Leaderboard Scores

Brian Harman is 18 holes away from his first career victory in a major tournament.

The 36-year-old is 12-under par with a lead of five shots after the third round of the 2023 Open Championship. He didn't keep up the same pace that he did in the previous two rounds, but built up enough of a cushion that it didn't cost him.

Jon Rahm was the biggest winner on moving day. He started the day two-over par before turning in a 63, the lowest round in the history of Royal Liverpool Golf Club, to drop his score to six under overall.

Rahm is now in sole possession of third place, one shot behind Cameron Young (-7) and five shots behind Harman.

Here are some instant reactions to the Open Championship leaderboard heading into the final round on Sunday.

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Brian Harman Isn't Slowing Down

While it can be dangerous to declare anything in the sport over before it actually is, Harman certainly doesn't look like he's going to relinquish the lead with 18 holes remaining.

It's not unprecedented for a player to blow a five-shot lead in the final round. It happened at this tournament in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013.

Plus, Cameron Smith won the 2022 Open Championship after trailing Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy by four shots going into Sunday.

If there is one potential concern for Harman going into the final round, he did struggle with his driver early on Saturday. He hit the rough on two of the first four holes, leading to bogeys on both occasions.

This was the first round Harman had multiple bogeys in all week. Even with those initial struggles, he still had no problem maintaining the five-shot lead he had coming into the third round thanks to his short game.

The Georgia native hasn't three-putted one hole through the first three rounds and leads the field with 9.27 strokes gained with the putter.

Harman has been one of the best Sunday players on the PGA Tour this season. His final-round scoring average of 68.71 this season ranks 11th on the circuit.

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Jon Rahm's Historic Day Adds Drama to Final Round

There was some doubt Rahm was even going to make the cut on Friday. He started the second round right at the cut line (+3), but was able to get under it thanks to four birdies.

Rahm rode the momentum he initially generated in the second round and didn't slow down. The 28-year-old broke the Royal Liverpool scoring record by two shots with his 63.

The back nine, in particular, saw Rahm feast on the course. He birdied six holes after making the turn, including both par fives.

It's still going to be a long climb for Rahm to catch Harman with just one round left to play. He's probably going to need some help from Harman in order to have a shot, but his Saturday score showed he's at least capable of making a big move.

Young hasn't had a single dominant round like Rahm on Saturday or Harman on Friday (65), but he's gotten better with each round. The New York native opened with a one-over 72 on Thursday before posting a 68 on Friday and 66 on Saturday.

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Short Game Costs McIlroy

If Rory McIlroy (-3) could find a way to harness his ball striking before getting onto the green and translate that skill to his putting, he would almost certainly be in contention going into Sunday's final round.

Unfortunately, an even-par 71 on Thursday and one-under-par 70 on Friday basically left him too far out of contention barring a miracle.

While the miracle didn't come on Saturday, McIlroy's round was better than his score of 69 would indicate. He was terrific at getting on the green, which Justin Ray of the Golf Channel pointed out is a carry over from his final round at the 2022 Open Championship.

McIlroy's main problem today was being able to finish when he got on the green. He ranks 111th in putting strokes gained this weekend and missed seven birdie putts within 17 feet on Saturday.

There was a lot of hope around McIlroy coming into this tournament after winning the Scottish Open last weekend. He also finished second at the U.S Open last month.

McIlroy's drought without a major victory is officially nine full years. His last one came at the 2014 Open Championship at this same course. He certainly hasn't been bad this weekend, but the results can't help but feel disappointing because of how close to dominant he can look at times.