Rory McIlroy stared at his card behind the 18th green and smiled the smile of a golfer who knew he’d had a day to remember at the British Open.

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. Seriously, look at this: “Have you ever seen anything like that?” Rory to Bones walking down the 11th. No we have not. 😅 pic.twitter.com/n3vK2B1jtF

Rory McIlroy shares his excitement about making the cut at the Open Championship in his home country after missing the cut six years ago.

Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and others made strong gains on Saturday, but they are still far off from Scheffler, so they may be relegated to competing for second place. Full list of Sunday tee times can be found on the tournament website.

Matt Fitzpatrick’s impressive second-round 66 put him in an excellent position to end the 33-year wait for an English winner of the Open, but he will have to get past the daunting figure of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler if he is to end the drought.