​NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — The infamous Scottish haar off the North Sea delivered two fog delays Saturday, leaving Matt Fitzpatrick and Michael Thorbjornsen perched atop the leaderboard with a long final day ahead to close out the Scottish Open and then head south to England for the year’s final major. Thorbjornsen birdied his last two holes to reach 11-under through 13, while Fitzpatrick tangled with trouble at the eighth, missing the green and failing to save par before play was halted.
As the day wore on, the stakes for Thorbjornsen and possibly a dozen others became clear: one of three remaining spots for the British Open, awarded to leading finishers not yet exempt. The plan for Sunday called for the third round to resume at 7 a.m., followed by the final round with groups starting off the first tee. With the extra daylight of summer, formalities weren’t expected to drag on.
Yet the competition proved as volatile as the weather. Fifteen players stood within three shots of the lead, a cluster that did not include Rory McIlroy, who instead faltered in the opposite direction. He bogeyed by missing a tap-in par, duck-hooked a wedge at a par-3, and thrashed a poor shot from a bush-situated area when he missed the fairway on the par-5 seventh. McIlroy needed a 20-foot par save on the eighth to stay three over for the round and five adrift of the co-leaders. He began the day tied for the lead.
Johnny Keefer was among those who finished his round, closing at 64 and 10-under 200. “I think I went into this week believing everything can change,” Keefer said. “I knew it would be a bit colder, so I could prep a little. Yes, the wind has picked up and has shifted directions three times since we’ve been here.” Keefer hopes to translate that mindset to Royal Birkdale next week. He sits as the third alternate for the British Open.
Also at 10 under with the third round still in progress were defending champion Chris Gotterup (through 10 holes), U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark (15 holes), Min Woo Lee (8 holes), Jordan Smith (7 holes), and Kevin Roy, who closed with a bogey on the 16th to finish his day. Among that group, Roy is not yet qualified for the Open and is eager to secure a spot. “I know there are spots to get into The Open, so I’ve got nothing to lose,” he said. “I’ve just got to go out there and keep making birdies and see where we end up.”
Karl Vilips stood at 8 under through 12 holes, suddenly emerging as a sentimental favorite for at least one Open berth. Vilips found himself in Kentucky for the opposite-field ISCO Championship on Monday when a notice arrived offering a spot at The Renaissance Club. Nine players ahead of him on the Scottish Open alternate list chose to remain in Kentucky, making Vilips’ path a long shot but a potentially meaningful one.
It’s a substantial journey on short notice with no guarantees, Vilips acknowledged. “The upside here is a spot in The Open next week,” he said, underscoring the gravity of the moment for a chance at the major. The day’s fog and drama set the tone for a climactic finish on Sunday as players chased one of the Open spots and the final major of the season loomed on the horizon.