Thriston Lawrence Shines in Rainy Conditions at Royal Troon

South Africa's Thriston Lawrence fired a six-under 65 to move into contention at the Open in Royal Troon. The 27-year-old golfer started three over but took advantage of the early scoring conditions to end three under. Ireland's Shane Lowry held the overnight lead, while notable performances were seen from other players like Justin Thomas and Kim Si-woo, who achieved the first hole-in-one of the championship.

Thriston Lawrence of South Africa equaled the best round of the week after firing a six-under 65, pushing him into contention for the Open Championship at a rainy Royal Troon on Saturday. The 27-year-old began the day three over par but capitalized on the morning's favorable scoring conditions to reach three under as the leaders started their third rounds.

Ireland's Shane Lowry, the 2019 champion, led overnight at seven under and played alongside England's Open debutant Dan Brown, who was at five under par. Lowry started strong with a birdie at the fourth hole moving to eight under, while Brown showed resilience by recovering from an initial bogey with two birdies, positioning himself at six under.

After two challenging days marked by stiff breezes, the Ayrshire links calmed down Saturday morning, allowing several players to score efficiently. Lawrence made six birdies in his first eight holes, went out in 30 shots, and finished with a birdie on the 11th and a bogey at the 13th, closing with five consecutive pars. Justin Thomas also capitalized on early opportunities, shooting a 67 to reach level par, despite his rollercoaster performance over the tournament. Australian Adam Scott and South Korea's Sungjae Im shot rounds of 66 to move to level and one over par respectively.

Notably, South Korea's Kim Si-woo made a hole in one at the 238-yard par-three 17th, marking the first ace of this year's championship. Although only ten players started the third day under par, that number seemed set to rise despite afternoon torrential rain.

(With inputs from agencies.)