Rory McIlroy has thanked Tiger Woods for easing the burden on his fellow players by joining the PGA Tour’s policy board in response to anger at the proposed deal between golf’s rival factions.

Woods and McIlroy have been the biggest advocates of the established tours in their battle with LIV Golf, but were kept in the dark before the shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV.

Masters champion Jon Rahm said players felt a sense of “betrayal” that the deal was negotiated in secret, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan facing calls to resign when the Framework Agreement was revealed on June 6.

Woods becoming a player-director is part of what the PGA Tour announced last week as a new agreement “to ensure that the Tour lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organisation, for the players, by the players”.

It means the new board will be made up of six player-directors, five independent directors – including a replacement for Randall Stephenson, who resigned over “serious concerns” about the deal last month – and the PGA of America director.

Woods, 47, has not played since withdrawing from April’s Masters and concedes his playing opportunities will be extremely limited going forward, but the 15-time major winner remains a hugely influential figure in the game.

McIlroy, who is also on the policy board with Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati, said: “It’s a great addition.

“The player that, especially over the last 20 years, has left the biggest legacy on the game, for him to be involved in the discussions around the future of professional golf and what that may look like is very important.

“Tiger’s stepped up for all of us on Tour and I think he realises all the players on the policy board are trying to play regular golf and at the same time trying to navigate all these different things as well, so he’s maybe got a little bit more time on his hands than we do.

“So for him to step up and sort of take a little bit of the load off us is very much appreciated.”

McIlroy was speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship as he bids to win the overall FedEx Cup title for a fourth time.

The 34-year-old has brought an old putter out of his garage to use at TPC Southwind in Memphis as he tries to overhaul Masters champion Jon Rahm and world number one Scottie Scheffler at the top of the standings.

“I sort of treat it like a 12-round tournament,” McIlroy added of the play-offs format. “You’ve got 12 rounds to play, and you’re trying to go out there and get the best out of yourself for those 12 days.

“I missed the cut here last year and then was able to bounce back with a good finish at the BMW (Championship) and then go on and win the Tour Championship.

“If you’re up there in the standings, at least you know you’ve got a little bit of wiggle room. Going into the Tour Championship, if you’re sort of within four of the lead starting on Thursday, I think you’re in a really good spot.”

McIlroy’s place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for this year’s contest in Rome was officially confirmed on Wednesday, along with that of Rahm, but the Northern Irishman’s preparation will be somewhat unorthodox.

After the PGA Tour season finishes McIlroy will return to Europe for the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but added with a smile: “I’ve got a buddy’s bachelor party in Mykonos after Wentworth for a few days and then I have a few days to dry out before the Ryder Cup.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire hopes she has learned a valuable lesson from her experience of leading a major championship as she bids to win the AIG Women’s Open.

Maguire held a one-shot lead after 36 and 54 holes of the KPMG Women’s Championship at Baltusrol in June, having won her second LPGA Tour title just days earlier.

A third 69 of the week in the final round would have been enough to make Maguire the first female Irish player to win a major, but the 28-year-old could only card a closing 74 to slip into a tie for 11th.

“I think at Baltusrol I put three really good rounds together,” Maguire said ahead of the year’s final major at Walton Heath.

“I think I had had seven rounds in the 60s (in succession) leading into that final day so I was playing really nice golf.

“I think the win the week before took a lot out of me. I was quite drained come Sunday and just didn’t have enough in the tank to get over the line.

“It was obviously a new learning experience, to be in that situation in the lead and the last group on Saturday and Sunday and sort of the emotions and everything that went along with that.

“I’d like to think that if I get myself in that position again, I’ll approach it a little differently and I’ll have learned from that experience.”

Maguire can also draw on the experiences of her male counterparts, with the likes of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, former Open champion Shane Lowry and 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley happy to offer advice.

“Padraig’s been quite generous with his time and his advice,” Maguire added.

“(I’ve) chatted to Shane and chatted to Paul McGinley, he has been a big help as well. He was our captain at the Rio Olympics and has been a big help with advice.

“To be fair they all shared their knowledge in different ways and they have all had very different experiences and I’ve kind of leaned on all of them at different times for different bits of advice.”

Maguire feels keeping the ball out of the heather will be the key to success this week and world number one Nelly Korda was in full agreement after tangling with it in practice.

“Yeah, almost broke my wrist today,” the Olympic champion said with a smile.

“It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe (you can advance the ball) but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree (wedge) just to try to get it back into play.

“It’s really tough to get out of that.”

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda will be in action at Walton Heath for the first time since being disqualified from the Evian Championship for refusing to accept a two-shot penalty for slow play, with Korda backing the decision to hand out sanctions.

“I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her,” Korda said.

“I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.

“I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for five and a half to six hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling.”

The R&A announced on Wednesday that AIG will continue as title sponsor of the Women’s Open through 2030, with Royal Lytham also named as the host venue for 2026.

This year’s total prize fund will be 9 million US dollars (£7.1million), a 23 per cent increase on 2022. The 2023 champion will earn 1.35 million US dollars (£1.1m).

Bryson DeChambeau hailed “one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played in my life” after he shot a record-breaking 58 to win the LIV Golf Greenbrier title.

The 29-year-old American needed to par the last hole to become the first LIV player to break 60, but finished with a birdie two to claim his first title on the new tour.

DeChambeau later tweeted: “It’s been a long time coming. This is one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played in my life. I can’t thank my team enough and sticking with me through the process.

“Today may have been history, but this is just the beginning. Let’s keep it going.”

DeChambeau carded 13 birdies and a single bogey to finish on 23 under par after 54 holes, six shots clear of Mito Pereira in second place.

It was his first victory since the death of his father Jon at the age of 63 in November last year.

Speaking at the greenside, DeChambeau said in a video tweeted by LIV Golf: “He was with me out there all day today, no doubt.

“It has been a really difficult couple of years, but doing it this way and finishing out with a 58… it’s just amazing what I was able to do. I’m super excited.”

Shane Lowry feels he might be “owed” a little good luck in the FedEx Cup play-offs as he battles to qualify for the post-season for a fifth straight year.

The former Open champion is ranked 76th in the standings and needs to climb inside the top 70 at the Wyndham Championship after the field for next week’s first play-off event was reduced from 125.

The top 50 after the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis will then advance to the BMW Championship, with only the top 30 making it to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve been in situations like this quite a bit over the last number of years,” Lowry said in a pre-tournament press conference at Sedgefield Country Club.

“I missed out on the Tour Championship by one spot last year, by two shots in 2019. I remember playing here one year, I’d been told I needed a top 10 to get to the play-offs, I finished seventh and I missed out by one point.

“So I feel like the play-offs nearly owes me one at this stage, so that’s what I’m trying to tell myself this year.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some pretty good golf most of the year. I’m coming off the back of a pretty bad week at The Open, which I was very disappointed with, but I had a nice holiday with my family last week to kind of regroup and hopefully get going again this week.”

Lowry has recorded just one top 10 on the PGA Tour this season and, although three of his eight top 20s came in the majors, the top-heavy points structure has not done him any favours.

“I think there’s been a lot of good, not much great (golf), which on the PGA Tour doesn’t cut it,” the world number 30 said.

“I think I’ve had a lot of top-20 finishes, but you need those great weeks, you need those top fives to move up the FedEx Cup points list.

“It’s been an interesting year for me. The way the schedule is with the designated events I feel like I’ve played some places that I wouldn’t normally play and I’ve had to miss tournaments that I normally like to play.

“But I’m here now and I want to play well and I want to get into next week and I want to make a run in the play-offs.

“Memphis is a course that I like playing and I’ve played all right in the past, so if I can get there, I know I can make a run there. I certainly don’t want to be sitting at home on my couch watching the play-offs.

“It’s a lot of motivation for me this week to play good golf and hopefully get my rewards at the end of it. I still feel like I can make the Tour Championship.”

Europe captain Luke Donald has named former skipper Jose Maria Olazabal as his fourth vice-captain for this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

Olazabal enjoyed a stellar playing career in the biennial contest against the United States before leading his side to victory in the famous ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012.

The 57-year-old won a total of 20.5 points in his seven appearances, with 12 of those coming from 15 matches in partnership with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros.

Olazabal, who was also vice-captain in 2008, 2010 and 2014, joins Thomas Bjorn, Edoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts in Donald’s backroom team.

The two-time Masters champion said: “With my previous experiences in the Ryder Cup I am obviously thrilled to be back involved once again.

“I am really looking forward to feeling that special adrenaline flow, the intensity and the electricity that only the Ryder Cup can bring.

“It was a very nice surprise to be asked by Luke. I didn’t expect it, but I was delighted when the call came.

“I have no doubts that Luke will be a great captain. He has played in the Ryder Cup four times and won four times and he therefore knows what is required to perform well in the match.”

Donald, who was sent out first by Olazabal in the Sunday singles at Medinah, said: “To know he had that respect and confidence in me to go out and lead Europe in such a pressurised last-day environment meant a lot and this feels, perhaps, that I am returning that favour a little bit, as I have a huge amount of confidence in him.

“Just his mere presence brings energy to any Ryder Cup environment and I saw that first hand when I asked him to be involved in the Hero Cup we staged in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of this year.

“He was such a big part of that week, being with the players and sharing stories with them of just what the Ryder Cup is all about.

“People notice when Jose Maria walks into a room and you could see at the Hero Cup how much everyone respected him and admired him for all he’s done in the game. I could not be more excited to have him on my team.”

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas insists great things are coming despite his recent poor form as he prepares for the 3M Open this week.

Thomas made a miserable exit from the Open last week at Hoylake after not making the cut, shooting a score of 11 over par, and questions over his form have been asked recently.

The American is also fighting for his place in the Ryder Cup which gets underway at the end of September.

Thomas has been a key member for Team USA for the last two editions but has missed four cuts in his last six tournaments and is currently 13th in the qualification standings.

But Thomas thinks good things are around the corner and told a press conference: “I really feel like great things are coming.

“Obviously I’ve had not very many results or not much positives to show. I’ve played a lot better golf than I feel like the scores and finishes have shown. I mean, it was just a couple events ago in the Travelers I finished in the top 10.

“I’m doing a lot of things pretty well. I’ve got to kind of just get over that hurdle. Feel like I’m very, very close, I am. Hopefully this is the week that it all clicks and comes together.”

Thomas requires a late push to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs as he sits five places outside the top 70, alongside fellow big name Shane Lowry who is also pushing for a position.

Thomas continued: “I feel like I’m just right there to kind of break it through – a little inner confidence or mojo, if you will.

“I’m not going to get that at home sitting on the couch, so I just kind of need to play my way through it a little bit.

“First off, this is an unbelievable opportunity for me, kind of behind the eight-ball, and my end goal is to make the Tour Championship like it is every year.

“It’s not like I’m just playing to try to get into the first play-offs event. I want to be in Atlanta and I’m going to have to get there somehow.”

An upbeat Jamaica senior team of mostly junior golfers departed the island on Sunday for the 66th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship in the Trinidad & Tobago between July 27 to 29.  

The four female members of the team are Jodi Munn-Barrow, juniors Emily Mayne, Mattea Issa and the only new comer Anoushka Katri, who played in the U15 category this year on the junior team. 

Many-time national representative Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) and the secretary of the Caribbean Golf Association, expects Jamaica to do well in this year. 

"I expect the team to perform well. They know each other. Most of them played last year together. The camaraderie is high. Everybody really wants go out there and make Jamaica proud and that's all we can ask of them. It's very good to see that six of the ten players are juniors so that's very good for our programme," said Munn-Barrow. 

In terms of her own game she said, "well from my side, I am hoping to bring some experience to help the girls as best as I can, of course to go out there and try my best." 

Mayne who captained the team that carried home George Teale Trophy last year said "I am hoping to play well. I am hoping to bring home a trophy again as last year the women's team won the trophy. So, I am just hoping that we can really build some team spirit and help everyone play well so we can bring home the trophy." 

The male members of the team are Justin Burrowes - captain, Zandre Roye who returns to the team after a number of years; juniors Rocco Lopez, Aman Dhiman and Ryan Lue. The sixth player, William Knibbs is already in Trinidad & Tobago and will participate in the two practice rounds prior to the start of the championship. The male team placed fourth in 2022. 

"I think I am pretty prepared. The last four five months I have not been in Jamaica. I changed my base to the States. I have been playing golf every single day, practicing every single day. I have been really working on my short game which always need a bit of work. I am looking forward to this week. I am always honoured to represent my country," said Burrowes. 

Junior golfer, Lopez, will be following his coach's instruction "to not expect anything, just go out there and try my best and whatever happens, happens but I expect to play well because I have been practicing very hard and I am excited to play." 

Dr. Mark Newnham, the team manager was upbeat about the team's chances to do well this year. 

"This year I think we have the perfect team, perfect of young enthusiastic hungry talent with the right mix of experience. I am not going to call anybody older but let's say wiser, so we have that perfect mix. We are looking forward to building on the success of last year. Our women's division took home the top prize so we are just looking forward this year to representing and doing better than last year." 

He also said that the men are motivated to put on a special performance this year, led by Burrowes who plans to go pro next year and wants to go out with a bang as an amateur. 

The team received sponsorship support from the Jamaica Olympic Association.

Open champion Brian Harman says making his Ryder Cup debut would “mean the world” to him following his dominant victory at Royal Liverpool.

Yet when he recovers from the after-effects of drinking a celebratory Guinness or two from the Claret Jug, Harman will be able to ponder the welcome prospect of a longed-for debut in the biennial event in Rome.

Harman’s six-shot victory lifted him from 20th in the standings into the top six automatic qualifying places and effectively ends the two-time Walker Cup winner’s long wait for a Ryder Cup debut.

“I’ve spent I don’t know how many years chasing,” Harman said following the second round of 65 which provided the springboard for his first major title.

“It always seems it’s right there at the end and I end up in between 13th and 18th on the list and I’m hoping for a pick. It would mean the world to me to play on the Ryder Cup team. I think I would do very well.”

Speaking after lifting the Claret Jug, the 36-year-old left-hander added: “I enjoy match play. I’ve done well in all the match play tournaments I’ve played in.

“I had a really good junior record and amateur record in match play. I enjoy the head-to-head competition.

“I had a lot of success as a junior golfer. I won the US Junior and then as an amateur I was the number one ranked amateur in the world for a good while, was the youngest American to get picked for the Walker Cup.

“I had success. Like I had the pedigree. Then I got to college and it just kind of sputtered a little bit. I just didn’t keep up the progression.

“My pro career has been really good at times and not good at times. Last year felt like I kind of found something a little bit, and yeah, man, it’s been great.”

Harman’s performance at Hoylake means he will not be needing to rely on a wild card to make the trip to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, although his chances may have been better than imagined given the identity of the US captain.

“He’s a really good friend of mine,” Zach Johnson said after carding a closing 74 on Sunday.

“We live on St. Simons Island. I’ve known him for years. Great family, great wife, great kids. The Harmans are dear friends of mine.

“What is transpiring the last couple tournaments he’s played in does not surprise me in the least. He is a very formidable competitor, number one.

“Number two, hey, what does Brian Harman do really well? Well, he does everything quite well. He’s a very good driver of the golf ball and a very, very, very good putter.

“Then if everything else is good, then it can be pretty lethal. Our games are very similar except for the fact that he stands on the wrong side of the golf ball.

“He hits it a little further. He’s gritty. He’s got a great ensemble of coaches and a team.

“He’s still young enough and competitive enough that I think there’s still room for improvement in his game, which is pretty scary because I think he’s really, really good.”

Open champion Brian Harman has revealed how being heckled by a spectator helped inspire him to a dominant victory at Royal Liverpool.

Harman held a five-shot lead after a stunning second round of 65 but got off to a slow start on Saturday with two dropped shots in the first four holes.

“After I made the second bogey a guy, when I was passing him, he said, ‘Harman, you don’t have the stones for this’,” Harman said in his post-championship press conference.

“It helped snap me back into (thinking) ‘I’m good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to go through my process, and the next shot is going to be good’.

“I figured at some point, just with the weather and the scenario, you’re going to hit bad shots. I knew that the way I responded to that would determine whether I’d be sitting here or not.”

Harman carded a third round of 69 to maintain his five-shot lead and a closing 70 in miserable conditions to finish six shots clear of Masters champion Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Sepp Straka and Tom Kim.

“It’s pretty surreal. It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Harman said. “I’m not going to let it (the Claret Jug) out of my sight for the time being. To win what I consider the greatest prize in golf is as good as it gets. I’m over the moon.

“It was a tough last three days, it really was. Being able to get some sleep was big last night. Sleeping on a lead like that is really difficult, so I’m proud of the way I hung in there the last couple days.”

Shot of the day

For the second time in the day Harman’s lead was briefly down to three shots before he holed from 40 feet for birdie on the 14th.

Round of the day

Three players shot 67 on the final day, but Harman’s 70 was even more impressive given the circumstances as he recovered from two early bogeys to card four birdies in a closing 70.

Quote of the day

“First I’m going to have me a couple pints out of this here trophy, I believe” – Harman said he was keen to get back home to see his family, but not before enjoying his triumph.

Toughest hole

With the pin close to the out of bounds to the right of the green, the par-four third hole played the toughest for the first time, with just four players making birdie, three carding a double bogey and three taking triple-bogey sevens.

Easiest hole

The par-five fifth was the easiest hole for the fourth day in succession, with one eagle and 34 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.618. Champion Harman made one of just five bogeys there on Sunday.

When is the next major?

The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National from April 11-14, 2024.

American Brian Harman secured his first major title with a six-shot victory at Royal Liverpool.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the new Open champion.

Harman, now 36, made his PGA Tour bow while still an amateur at the 2004 MCI Heritage. He played on the victorious 2005 and 2009 Walker Cup teams. His first tour win arrived a decade later at the John Deere Classic, a victory which qualified him for an Open debut – at Hoylake. His second – and last up to this weekend – win was at the Wells Fargo Classic in 2017. Despite that, Harman had still won almost 29million US dollars prior to his Open victory – worth 3m USD (£2.3m).

In 2015 he became only the third player in PGA Tour history to have two holes in one in the same round at The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club, New Jersey.

Harman’s only other 54-hole lead was at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, where he began the final day with a one-stroke lead but finished in a tie for second as Brooks Koepka won by four. His major record prior to Royal Liverpool was distinctly average, with missed cuts in 13 of 29 events and only two top-10 finishes. He has missed the cut in four of the eight Opens in which he has played but has finished sixth and first in his last two.

A post shared by Brian Harman (@harmanbrian)

Golf is the only thing he does left-handed. Harman is a keen hunter, killed his first deer aged 12, and owns a farm in St Simon’s Island in his native Georgia. He responded to missing the cut at the Masters in April by returning to his farm in Georgia and killing a pig and a turkey. However, he insists he has a “deep respect” for animals and is “not a fan of people who kill for sport”. Many of his family members are world-class scuba divers and spear fishers.

Harman marks his golf balls with dots that look like deer tracks. He once said his favourite television show was ‘Duck Dynasty’, about a Louisiana business making products for duck hunters. He claimed they “remind me of my family, such rednecks”. At the time of his Open triumph he had just over over 20,000 followers on Instagram and just over 30,000 on Twitter. He has not tweeted for over three years. He has been reminded several times this week of his likeness to former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting – a “handsome fella”, according to Harman.

American Brian Harman survived an early scare to claim his first major title in dominant fashion on a rain-soaked final day of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Harman’s five-shot overnight lead was briefly cut to three as he covered the first five holes in two over par in miserable conditions, but the 36-year-old responded superbly to regain his vice-like grip on the Claret Jug.

A victory made possible by a stunning 65 on Friday – the joint-lowest score in a Hoylake Open until Jon Rahm’s Saturday 63 – was sealed with gritty rounds of 69 and 70 for a total of 13 under par and six-shot win over Rahm, Jason Day, Sepp Straka and Tom Kim.

Rory McIlroy and Emiliano Grillo finished another stroke back, with home favourite Tommy Fleetwood and Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan in a tie for 10th.

Harman, who is just the third left-hander to win the Open after Bob Charles (1963) and Phil Mickelson (2013), last tasted victory on the PGA Tour in 2017, the same year in which he led by one after 54 holes of the US Open before finishing second to Brooks Koepka.

Only two players in championship history had squandered a five-shot lead after 54 holes – Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.

Harman briefly looked in danger of joining that unhappy club when he dropped a shot on the second before Rahm closed the gap further with a fortunate birdie on the par-five fifth.

Rahm’s drive was pulled towards a collection of gorse bushes but somehow avoided all of them and left the world number three with a good lie and clear shot, from where he came up just short of the green and two-putted.

Harman’s tee shot on the fifth then followed the same line as Rahm, only to plunge into a bush and force him to take a penalty drop, leading to a second bogey and cutting his lead to three.

That was just Harman’s fifth bogey of the week and for the third time he bounced back immediately with a birdie, holing from 15 feet on the sixth to edge further clear.

Another top-quality iron shot set up a birdie on the seventh, restoring Harman’s overnight cushion and effectively ending the championship as a contest.

Even when Straka briefly got within three shots thanks to a birdie on the 16th, Harman promptly holed from 40 feet for birdie on the 14th and he added another on the next before calmly parring the last three holes to seal a convincing victory.

McIlroy, who began the day nine behind, made the ideal start with a hat-trick of birdies from the third but was unable to make any further inroads and had to settle for a closing 68, his lowest score of the week.

The world number two won the Open at Hoylake in 2014 and the US PGA Championship a month later, but has not claimed one of the game’s biggest titles since.

Six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo, commentating for Sky Sports, said: “When he won a quick four everyone was wondering is he going to have a dozen or how close can he get to Jack (Nicklaus, who won 18).

“People think you just roll off a log and win a major but you don’t. I said years ago he would either be ecstatic to get to five or disappointed to only end up with 12 and he’d be ecstatic to get to five now.

“He is talented enough, he’s got the desire and he is really fit, there’s just a couple of things wrong with his short irons. You’ve got to find a way of clearing the air and finding a way with eight iron or less.”

Rory McIlroy immediately turned his attention to the Ryder Cup after failing to end his long wait for a fifth major title at the Open.

The Northern Irishman was unable to reproduce his best form at Royal Liverpool and had to settle for a final score of six under after a closing round of 68 on Sunday.

Yet after winning the Scottish Open last week and making par or better in each of his four rounds at Hoylake, the world number two was not displeased with his showing and remains positive.

Chief among his aims is piloting Europe to Ryder Cup glory in Rome this autumn and gaining revenge for their heavy loss in the United States two years ago.

The 34-year-old said: “Confidence is high. I’m playing well, obviously off the back of the win last week and another solid performance here.

“I want to be to be right in there and win another FedEX Cup, (there is) the race to Dubai to win and the Ryder Cup, which is the most important of all.

“After what happened at Whistling Straits, I don’t think we couldn’t be more motivated to go to Rome and get that Ryder Cup back.

“There is a lot to golf to play individually before that but I think a lot of our attention will turn to Rome after this.”

McIlroy, who won the last time the Open was held at Hoylake in 2014, will now see his major title drought extended to a decade but he insists that is not something he thinks about.

He said: “I don’t think that way. I just keep looking forward. I’m optimistic about the future and I’ve just got to keep plugging away.”

McIlroy started his final round strongly with three successive birdies from the third hole but was unable to maintain the momentum amid heavy and persistent rain.

He said: “I got off to a really good start but it’s just hard to keep that going. They were tricky conditions out there.

“But every time I tee it up – or most times I tee it up – I’m right there. I can’t sit here and be too frustrated. Overall, it was a solid performance, not spectacular.”

American Brian Harman remained firmly on course to claim his first major title on a rain-soaked final day of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Harman took a five-shot lead into the closing 18 holes and maintained that advantage at the turn after recovering superbly from a shaky start.

Only two players in championship history have squandered a five-shot lead after 54 holes, Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.

Harman’s lead quickly became six when playing partner Cameron Young bogeyed the first, but Harman dropped a shot himself at the next before Masters champion Jon Rahm closed the gap with a birdie on the par-five fifth.

Rahm’s drive was pulled towards a collection of gorse bushes but somehow avoided all of them and left the world number three with a good lie and clear shot, from where he came up just short of the green and two-putted.

Harman’s tee shot on the fifth then followed the same line as Rahm, only to plunge into a bush and force him to take a penalty drop, leading to a second bogey and cutting his lead to three.

That was just Harman’s fifth bogey of the week and for the third time he bounced back immediately with a birdie, holing from 15 feet on the sixth to edge further clear.

And when he also birdie the next following another quality iron shot, the lead was back to five.

Rahm’s bogey on the ninth briefly gave Harman a six-shot cushion, but Austria’s Sepp Straka almost immediately birdied the 11th to get back within five.

Rory McIlroy, who began the day nine behind, made the ideal start with a hat-trick of birdies from the third and recovered from a bogey on the 10th with a birdie on the 14th. But at six behind, holes were running out for the 2014 winner.

World number one Scottie Scheffler’s amazing run of results in 2023 looked certain to come to an end on a rain-soaked final day of the 151st Open.

Scheffler has finished no worse than 12th in any of his 16 events this season and no lower than fifth in his last seven starts.

However, that streak appeared to be over despite a final round of 67, the former Masters champion leaving himself too much to do following earlier rounds of 70, 75 and 72 at Royal Liverpool.

Scheffler began the final round in a tie for 63rd but took advantage of an early dry spell to cover his first 13 holes in four under par.

A wild drive on the 14th, which ironically finished next to an instructional ‘Swing Zone’ in the spectator village, cost Scheffler his first shot of the day, but he bounced back immediately to birdie the par-five 15th.

Scheffler holed from 20 feet for par on the 17th following a poor chip, but was unable to birdie the par-five 18th as the forecast rain arrived and a closing 67 – matching the best of the day so far by Adrian Meronk – meant Scheffler was in a tie for 30th when he signed his card.

At the top of the leaderboard, fellow American Brian Harman took a five-shot lead into the closing 18 holes in pursuit of his first major title.

Only two players in championship history have squandered such an advantage after 54 holes, Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.

Harman, who led by one at the same stage of the 2017 US Open before finishing second behind Brooks Koepka, said: “You’d be foolish not to envision (lifting the Claret Jug) and I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life.

“It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practise as much as I do and why I sacrifice as much as I do.

“If that’s going to come to fruition for me (on Sunday), it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”

Harman’s nearest challenger was fellow American and last year’s runner-up Cameron Young, with Masters champion Jon Rahm another stroke back after storming through the field with a flawless 63.

Home favourite Tommy Fleetwood was part of a five-strong group, which included Viktor Hovland and Jason Day, starting the final round seven off the pace.

Brian Harman admitted it would be foolish not to think about winning his maiden major title as he headed into the final day at Royal Liverpool with a five-shot lead.

Only two players in history have squandered such an advantage after 54 holes, Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.

Harman, who led by one at the same stage of the 2017 US Open before finishing second behind Brooks Koepka, said: “You’d be foolish not to envision (lifting the Claret Jug) and I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life.

“It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practise as much as I do and why I sacrifice as much as I do.

“If that’s going to come to fruition for me (on Sunday), it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”

Harman’s nearest challenger was fellow American and last year’s runner-up Cameron Young, with Masters champion Jon Rahm another stroke back after storming through the field with a flawless 63.

Home favourite Tommy Fleetwood was part of a five-strong group, which included Viktor Hovland and Jason Day, starting the final round seven off the pace.

Shot of the day

Antoine Rozner carded his second 67 of the week with the aid of an eagle on the par-five 15th.

Round of the day

Rahm only made the cut with a shot to spare, but stormed into contention thanks to a stunning 63, by two shots the lowest ever recorded in an Open at Royal Liverpool.

Quote of the day

“I hear a lot of Ricky, Ricky’s out there. Yeah, I look like him. Handsome fella” – Brian Harman when asked about his resemblance to former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting.

Statistic of the day

Only two players have lost a five-hole lead with 18 holes to play in the history of the Open Championship.

Easiest hole

The par-five fifth played as the easiest for the third day running, with one eagle and 32 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.632.

Hardest hole

The 14th was again the most difficult hole with a scoring average of 4.171, with just eight of the 76-man field making birdie, 16 making a bogey and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen running up a triple-bogey seven.

Weather forecast

Cloudy with spells of moderate rain, likely heavy at times, especially early morning. Cloudy with outbreaks of light or moderate rain from noon onwards, with winds around 15mph.

Key tee times

1300 Emiliano Grillo, Rory McIlroy
1345 Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka
1355 Jason Day, Antoine Rozner
1405 Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
1415 Cameron Young, Brian Harman