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. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

Rory McIlroy climbed the leaderboard Saturday at the 2025 Open Championship thanks in large part to an electric eagle putt on the par-five 12th.

The Open Championship isn't over. McIlroy and everyone else in contention have to believe they have a chance. But they're chasing a guy who's almost impossible to catch.

As the latest inductee into one of sport’s most exclusive clubs, there is little that grand slam champion Rory McIlroy has not seen in the game of golf. Then, just past the halfway mark of his Open Championship third round on Saturday,

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.

McIlroy has used two caddies during his professional golf career. His first was named J.P. Fitzgerald, who he had on his bag until 2017. McIlroy then switched to Harry Diamond, who has been his caddie over the last eight years.

There was a moment in the middle of the afternoon Saturday at Royal Portrush where it still felt like anything was possible at the 2025 Open Championship. All scenarios were still on the table. Hope ran rampant around the property as the third round trundled on and player after player made birdie after birdie.