The Open 2022: final round updates from St Andrews – live!

Some quotes from Sam Burns after he matched the low round of the week – an eight under 64 – earlier today.

Probably the most benign conditions we’ve had all week. A little softer with the rain and not as much wind. It’s definitely more gettable. Just hit the correct shots, was able to get them in there pretty close and make the putts.

It’s always nice to finish that way. Just unfortunate to shoot 64 in the final round and still finish 40th. So it is what it is.

An interesting little range update from Matt…

Having said that the leaders were giving themselves more space, Rory McIlroy emerges to cheers, and takes a spot tight beside Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Dustin Johnson. Moreover, they are all, apart from Cantlay, joking around. Basically McIlroy’s arrival has changed the vibe. Maybe coincidental but interesting.

Matt C is down at the range where Rory and co are putting in a bit of late prep.

It’s a quieter range than yesterday. No stragglers who missed the cut or early starters fixing problems. The leaders have it to themselves and are giving themselves a bit more space. Less chatter, less interaction. An exception? A word and a smile for Cam Smith from Adam Scott.

“Hatton looked on at the slow play of his partner, Talor Gooch, with murderous intent,” wrote Ewan Murray in his third-round report yesterday. That’s Tyrrell rather than Derek by the way. The Englishman has been paired with last week’s Barbasol Championship winner, Trey Mullinax, today. Hatton left his birdie putt short at the 1st but has set up an excellent chance for a par breaker at 2 after taking dead aim. Hopefully Mullinax gets on with it a bit more than Gooch did.

Up at 14, one of the two par fives at St Andrews, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana drains a 15-footer for birdie and advances to 10 under. This is some performance from the youngster. He’s now tied seventh alongside Dustin Johnson.

We saw it with our own eyes: Cameron Smith went from putting like a god to performing like a mere mortal on the greens yesterday. The stats from datagolf back it up. The Aussie ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Putting over the first two days but was only 66th in that category [losing 1.65 strokes to the field] in round three. Tommy Fleetwood was statistically the best putter on Saturday, with Viktor Hovland 5th and Rory McIlroy 33rd.

Matt reports that Smith has just arrived. “Rucksack, hoodie, cheeky grin. Complete competition winner/mascot vibe.”

Tony Finau is something of a golfing thoroughbred – 10 top 10s in the majors – but his charge has come too late this week. The easy-swinging American is six under for the day after 16 holes and has surged into tied 12th. He failed to break 70 in each of his first three rounds. As I write this, he’s playing out of the Road Bunker at 17. Oh dear, I’ve cursed him.

One player out there now has snuck into the top 10 and it’s an unlikely name: Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, who booked his Open ticket by winning the SMBC Singapore Open. The 23-year-old is five under for the day (eagle at 5) and nine under overall, good enough for tied eighth.

A reminder of when the final half-dozen groups go out. Not long now!

2.00pm Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay
2.10pm Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Scott
2.20pm Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood
2.30pm Si Woo Kim, Scottie Scheffler
2.40pm Cameron Young, Cameron Smith
2.50pm Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland

Matt C is soaking up the action backstage.

Rory McIlroy’ s mum and dad just wandered into the property. A casual stroll alongside the first. Past all the food outlets and the Open Arms, through the packed crowds. Don’t think anyone recognised them!

Calm before the storm for the leaders. Jordan Spieth practising his twitching, DJ thinking he’s at a Sex Pistols gig, Adam Scott honing his shirt game (and his short game), Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood the crowd favourites, Rory the word in everyone’s lips.

Excellent birdie-birdie-birdie start by Xander Schauffle today. Last week’s Scottish Open winner hasn’t had the week he wanted but looks to be finishing off in style. A contrast to Jon Rahm who appears ready to explode after a bogey at 3 and a double bogey at 4 when he had wedge in hand for his second. The Spaniard drops to tied 68th.

Local Scot Robert MacIntyre is currently giving the galleries plenty to cheer. The left-hander has bagged two eagles today – at the 5th and 7th – and is -6 overall and tied 26th as he tees off at 13. A shame about that pesky double bogey at the 1st today.

Barclay Brown went with the Stone Roses Spike Island bucket hat today rather than the wider-rimmed It Ain’t Half Hot Mum number of the first three days. But despite a birdie at 18, his bid to win the Silver Medal for leading amateur went south after a run of bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey from 13 to 17. That closing 75 left him at +2, one extra swing than Aussie Aaron Jarvis’s +1. It means Italian Filippo Celli is in pole position in the amateur race: he’s 3 after 7 holes so has a four-shot cushion.

Matt caught up with blog favourite BB as he walked off 18. Barclay’s name? He has no idea why he’s called Barclay except that his father is Scottish. Despite our nonsense that his name suggested he starred alongside Terry-Thomas, Brown has no acting background and quickly gave up drama at school. But he’s enjoying his economics degree at Stanford [Tiger’s old uni) and will see out his four years there. No Silver Medal but he had a chuckle that he’d become a cult figure this week.

Like many at St Andrews, DP World Tour pro Matthew Southgate went berserk when commentating on Rory holing his bunker shot at the 10th for eagle yesterday. “It sounded like the stand was coming down. It was like Wembley,” Southgate said this morning.

Matt Cooper is live at St Andrews and has been regaling us with a few tales from the Auld Grey Toon.

A disappointing Open for Celeb-spotting – perhaps even they can’t get in via the ballot. Actress Kathryn Newton has been here, there and everywhere as an R&A Ambassador (I can even happily report she was nice enough to record a wonderful message for my board-treading niece). Elsewhere, Niall Horan was seen in the R&A World Golf Museum, while Tim Henman, Andrew Murray and Gavin Hastings have been tasting whisky in the tented village. There’s a rumour that Robbie Williams showed up in town. I’ve seen Kirsty Wark from Panorama, but I’m not entirely sure if she counts as a celebrity. All in all, nothing on the scale of the past, when heavyweight whispers of George Clooney, Tom Cruise and even P-Diddy were common.

And another one…

Fancy a front row seat for today? The Rusacks Hotel, which overlooks the 1st and 18th holes, has been renovated recently, with the NFL-playing Manning brothers part of the group that undertook the project. A seat on the roof this afternoon is said to be costing £3,000 per person.

Can anyone beat the Smith/Burns low round of 64? Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion and winner of the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, thinks so. “Greens a touch softer, not much wind. There’s a low score out there. A good chance for the leading two to stretch away from the pack,” said Willett after closing with a 3-under 69 to finish at -4.

At this stage yesterday, Kevin Kisner was threatening to shoot something ridiculous. He eventually signed for a 65. Nobody has burst out the traps like Kisner today – he was -7 after 10 – but Sam Burns, the world No 11, enjoyed a red-hot finish to shoot 64 and match Cameron Smith’s low round of the week. Burns closed with four straight birdies, a cautionary tale for anyone thinking this is over if someone has a big lead walking to the 15th tee. That eight under round has lifted Burns 56 spots to tied 21st.

Ahhh, lovely. Hang on a sec, just got something in my eye. ‘Music Box Dancer’ as many of you will know was the theme music to ‘Around With Alliss’. Talking of the great man, here’s Peter’s commentary on one of golf’s iconic moments. The little chuckle after the ball topples in is perfect. Pure Peter. Imagine if Rory has a four-shot lead putting on the final hole and pays homage to the Seve celebration. I’m getting ahead of myself!

We did the BBC’s Open golf theme music on day one so let Frank Mills play us in for today’s closing round with another classic. Take it away big fella…

Preamble