Thriston Lawrence maintains a slender lead midway through the final round of the 152nd Open

Thriston Lawrence of South Africa maintained a small lead midway through the final round of the 152nd Open, which was set to conclude in a dramatic conclusion at Royal Troon

American Billy Horschel began the day with a slim lead, but with the top 24 players separated by only six strokes, it was no surprise that the last major of the year was still up for grabs with nine holes to play.

Horschel got off to a great start with a birdie on the first, but a bogey on the third allowed England’s Justin Rose to seize the lead after birdies on the second and fourth.

Horschel also birdied the fourth and sixth to regain the lead, but Rose birdied the eighth – playing just 100 yards in the final round – and Horschel missed a shot at the same hole after failing to get up and down from a bunker.

Thriston Lawrence, who was playing with Horschel, was reaping the benefits of an attacking strategy, birdieing the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth holes to finish seven under par, one stroke ahead of Rose.

Horschel and US PGA Championship champion Xander Schauffele were two strokes behind the lead, with Russell Henley at four under and Shane Lowry another stroke behind.

Lowry, who had a two-shot lead at the halfway point before finishing with a 77 on Saturday, lost a stroke on the third but made four birdies in the following five holes, including a 55-footer on the fifth.

Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, was within two of the lead until he four-putted the ninth for a double bogey.