TROON, Scotland — If survival makes for riveting theater, then you cannot take your eyes off this 152nd British Open at Royal Troon.
Saturday’s third round was a lesson in survival on the golf course.
Some hung in there.
Some didn’t.
Billy Horschel hung in there.
Playing in the worst weather conditions of the day, he shot a 2-under 69 to take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.
Sunday marks the first time in Horschel’s career he’s entered the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead.
“I’m going to enjoy it,’’ Horschel vowed. “I’ve worked my entire life to be in this position. I’ve been in the lead many times going into a final round. Obviously, this is a major. It means a little bit more. We all know that. We know what this means to everyone. I know what it means to my legacy in the game of golf and what I want to do and accomplish.
“But I’m excited to be here. I’ve wanted to be here my entire life. I’m finally here. I’m embracing it. If it’s my time tomorrow, it’s my time, and I’m going to be ecstatic. If it’s not, then we’ll get on the horse again, and we’ll work hard to get back in that position again.’’
Horschel said he “enjoys’’ the torturous conditions that wrecked afternoon rounds Saturday, hours after some players were posting scores of 6-under and 5-under.
“I love the nastiness,’’ Horschel said.
There was plenty of “nastiness’’ to go around Saturday.
Just ask Shane Lowery, who took the 36-hole lead into the day and melted down on the final 11 holes.
This looked like Lowry’s tournament to win for so much of the past two days. And then it wasn’t. His troubles began on the 123-yard par-3 “Postage Stamp’’ hole.
Lowry, who entered the third round with a two-shot lead, was cruising along on the front nine at 8-under until he reached No. 8, the “Postage Stamp,’’ which sent him packing.
He committed the one deadly sin you cannot commit on that hole, which was hit his tee shot into the “coffin’’ bunker to the left of the green.
That cost him two shots as he double-bogeyed the hole to fall into a tie with Daniel Brown at 6-under at the time.
“That hole is one of the greats,’’ Phil Mickelson said earlier in the day. “It’s a hole that you’ve seen dismantle a bunch of opportunities for players to win. You just don’t want to make the big number.’’
Lowry never recovered from the mess on eight.
He dropped seven shots on the final 11 holes to spiral to 1-under.
“The eighth hole was killer, really,’’ Lowry said. “Make par there and you can still shoot 3- or 4-over from there and still be leading the tournament. I just pulled my wedge shot there. I don’t really know what to say. It was a grind. It wasn’t much fun.’’
Because this is Troon in some treacherous conditions.
Lowry’s not out of it, though.
He’s a mere three shots behind Horschel despite the 77 he shot Saturday.
“Look, there’s no doubt I’m going to go out there tomorrow thinking I can win the tournament, but it’s just hard right now,’’ Lowry said. “Ten minutes ago, I had to putt for par on the 18th green, and I’m here talking to you guys now trying to figure out how I shot 77 in my own head.
“This game is just hard, and now you feel how hard it was for playing well the first two days in those conditions. Honestly, it was brutal. This is going to take me a couple hours to get over. I have a job to do tomorrow and a similar chance to win this tournament.”
There are a lot of players who are as in this thing as Lowry.
Six players are one shot behind Horschel — Brown, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Thriston Lawrence.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, is two shots back at 2-under.
Then there’s Lowry at 1-under. Adam Scott, Justin Thomas and Matthew Jordan are all even-par and only four shots back.
There are 24 players within six shots of Horschel’s lead.
Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson, for example, are 2-over and in that group that cannot be counted out.
“Tournament is far from over,’’ Schauffele said. “It’s a packed leaderboard, and it’s going to be one of those where you just really have to keep your head down and try to worry about yourself.’’
Schauffele will draw on his PGA Championship victory in May as he chases the Claret Jug and tries to win a second major in one season.
“I’ll let myself dream tonight,’’ he said.
Saturday’s survival turns into Sunday survival.
There are a lot of dreamers on the chase of the Claret Jug.
It’s a virtual lock to be fascinating theater.