How about that?! A putt drops for Rory McIlroy!

He cracks a wry smile as his birdie putt drops in the front of the cup at the 10th.

Up to four under.

Tommy Fleetwood, who is just about to get his final round under way, is on course to be the leading Englishman at this year's Open.

Dan Brown started one shot behind Fleetwood but he's had a very eventful start to his round - and not in a good way.

Brown went well left off the tee, took a penalty drop and eventually made a double-bogey six.

Wonderful hands by Scottie Scheffler to whip his wedge underneath the ball and blasting it up and out of the greenside bunker on the fifth, getting plenty of height so it lands soft and only about a foot away - it wasn't far away from dropping in.

We've seen world number four Cameron Young make a significant move, but what about the fifth-ranked player?

Russell Henley, who has returned top-10 finishes in the past two Opens, has just knocked in his third straight birdie on 11. His third in a row and he's five under for the round.

Could he be the one to set the clubhouse target?

Looking over how the course is playing, it is clear the leaders face a real mix out there this afternoon.

Some holes are extremely amenable and playing rather nicely.

Others, like two of the closing four, are really not.

Cameron Young is seeing nothing but the flagstick right now.

He draws a beauty into 17 feet at the par-three seventh to set up yet another birdie chance.

It's a slippery one down the slope and it just trickles off to the left so he taps in for his sixth three in seven holes.

Bob MacIntyre's woes continue though. Having come up woefully short with his birdie putt, he fails to convert for par and drops his second shot in a row.

Watching Rory McIlroy drive on the ninth has been fun this week. He's driven the green twice, and while he came up just shy yesterday, he chipped in for eagle.

Just short again today, his chip is weak and he leaves his 15-footer for birdie hanging on the left edge of the cup.

He's starting to show a little frustration, too. One under through nine, he's missed several chances already today.

Image source, Getty Images

Can Tommy Fleetwood do it? He'll have Royal Birkdale trying to push him on every step of the way, and if he does get off to a good start this could be one of the loudest days in Open Championship history.

Everyone has their favourites, but there's something special about a true local hero challenging for The Open.

The best of recent times that come to mind include Shane Lowry being roared on to glory by an Irish crowd at Royal Portrush, even as a Dubliner in Northern Ireland.

The Friday of that tournament though was arguably even better, as Rory McIlroy, a genuine local, was just chasing the cut but the atmosphere was something special - while Paul Lawrie winning at Carnoustie was another.

Tommy Fleetwood winning at Royal Birkdale could eclipse all of those though - and the noise levels would be off the charts if he makes a challenge.

There is no doubt about the biggest storyline around Royal Birkdale this week.

Bryson DeChambeau's two-shot penalty for "inadvertently" improving the lie of his ball at the fifth hole on Friday has dominated discourse ever since.

Rory McIlroy accused him of "holding the tournament hostage" after DeChambeau threatened to withdraw. Scottie Scheffler said he had "a ton of thoughts" on the issue but wasn't willing to share just yet.

And the crowds? They showered the big American with adulation yesterday.

If he's two off the winning score - or even closer - by end of play today it could get very interesting indeed.

The sixth is a brutish par-four at 520 yards but Cameron Young shortens it significantly with a 356-yard smash off the tee.

From the left edge of the fairway, he knocks it to 12 feet...but this time the putt stays above ground and his run of threes is ended.

Bob MacIntyre missed the fairway right and scrambled to give himself a 13-footer for par, which he leaves short to drop back to three under.

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Reuters

Saturday. 8:30pm. Royal Birkdale putting green.

One man is practising with the flat stick, long after the final pair have left the course. A putt drops and a roar erupts. The Ryan Gerard fan club is still out in force.

When you have a surname like that on Merseyside, missing 'r' aside, it instantly endears you to at least half of the population. He's become a cult hero, with the chants to go with it.

So as Tommy Fleetwood draws the biggest crowds and cheers this afternoon, keep an ear out for an unheralded American who the locals have taken as their own.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale

When Tommy Fleetwood used to scamper through the Royal Birkdale fence as a kid, he could only dream of being the poster boy of an Open here.

'Tommy lad' is everywhere.

Most strikingly, he is depicted on a huge mural outside a fan park up the road at Southport and Birkdale Sports Club.

And the shuttle buses which ferry fans from the course to park and ride sites have a digital image of Fleetwood and the Claret Jug plastered on the side.

If that picture becomes reality tonight, Birkdale will have never seen a party quite like it.

Image source, Getty Images

History tells us you have to be reasonably close heading into Open Championship Sunday if you want to win the Claret Jug - as amazingly only 13 players have won having been outside of the top four after the third round.

Francesco Molinari in 2018 at Carnoustie was the most recent.

There are also only 13 players who have come from four or more shots behind the leader after 54 holes to win The Open.

Cameron Smith was the most recent one of those, coming from four behind Rory McIlroy to win the 2022 Open at St Andrews, but the way Birkdale has played this week and with all the low scores around you get the feeling tomorrow could produce another.

Only seven players started the day within four shots of Sam Burns, so could we see a bigger comeback than four?

There were 18 players within six of the lead at the start of play and you wouldn't want to look further back than that - although the record comeback in The Open is 10 shots - that being Paul Lawrie's epic Carnoustie success in 1999.

Jon Rahm's hopes of forcing his way into contention suffer an early setback.

The Spaniard's tee shot at the first hole goes out of bounds then he has a bit of nightmare on the green.

A double bogey is not the best start for the two-time major winner.

We have seen the record for best round of golf at a men's major equalled three times this tournament with Lucas Herbert, Sam Burns and Ryan Fox all shooting 62.

And yet the scoring has certainly not got away from the pack, especially when looking at previous Open Championships.

So what's your verdict? Has this been a good tournament?

Or are you reserving judgement for how it all goes down today?

*For some reason, we were unable to add a flag for poor old Henrik Stenson.

But the 2016 Open winner is definitely from Sweden and proud to be the only man from his country to claim the Claret Jug.

Scottie Scheffler's sorted out his putting problems - but not by improving his stroke with the flat stick, but by negating it altogether and just sticking his approach shots in nice and tight.

Two feet at the first, three feet at the second, even Scheffler doesn't miss many of those. Two under through two, just four shots off the lead now, the defending champion is not letting his title go without a fight.

A snapshot of Rory McIlroy's week.

Cracking drive down the eighth and a flick with the wedge leaves him nine feet for birdie, but he misses it low on the left side.

Going off this week's performance on the greens, McIlroy will be seeking a few lengthy sessions with putting coach Brad Faxon.

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

Since World War Two, there have only been five men who have won on their maiden appearance at an Open.

True legends of the game in Ben Hogan and Tom Watson were victorious on their opening attempt, while more recently Collin Morikawa lifted the Claret Jug at the first opportunity.

Debutants Ryan Gerard, Jackson Suber and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen all sit within the top 10 going into the final 18 holes at Royal Birkdale and will be hoping to join that list.

Image source, Getty Images

A shocking 40 on his back nine yesterday left Cameron Young with a mountain to climb in his quest for a first major, but he's wasted no time scurrying up the leaderboard before the final groups head out.

The world number four has started his final round with five straight threes, four birdies and a par, and sits just three shots back of Sam Burns. Brilliant start from the 2022 Open runner-up.

Grouped with Bob MacIntyre, the Scot has made a steady start with a birdie and four pars.

Sam Burns equalled the record for the lowest round at a men's major on Friday when he shot 62, and his five-under 65 - with the added focus of playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau in round three - was every bit as impressive.

Burns has registered four top-10s at the majors in the past three years, including two in 2026, and came so close to a maiden title at the US Open last month when he ended as runner-up to Wyndham Clark.

It feels like this might be his time, but there are plenty below him on the leaderboard waiting to pounce if he has an off day today.