Tyrrell Hatton ties course record to take Alfred Dunhill Links 54-hole lead 

Tyrrell Hatton worked himself into position to strike for a title double at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a third individual win and the team crown alongside his father Jerry Hatton, with a blistering 11 under par 61 at St Andrews on Saturday.  

Just behind the LIV Golf star, overnight leader Nicolas Colsaerts hit an amazing albatross two on the par-5 16th hole at Kingsbarns to give a massive impetus to his title challenge and spark a head-to-head final round duel tomorrow with Hatton, event organisers said. 

Colsaerts hit his second shot on the 565-yard hole, his seventh of the day after starting at the 10th, past the pin where it climbed a steep slope before rolling back and dropping into the hole. Colsaerts did not see the shot finish and had to be told it had gone in. It took the Belgian to 20 under par, four shots ahead, but he then had to see Hatton catch fire to tie the Old Course record with one of the greatest rounds ever seen in the championship. 

Colsaerts finished with a 65 to be on 21 under, one shot behind Hatton, and set up a dramatic final round on the Old Course on Sunday. 

Hatton said later: “I have actually shot 10 under par before, so I knew when I holed the birdie putt on 17 that it was on. That’s actually my lowest round on tour as well. It was a cool day. I know I'm capable of winning around here.” 

Colsaerts’s was the fourth albatross in the Alfred Dunhill Links, the previous most famous being Lee Westwood’s on the 9th hole at Kingsbarns in 2003 which led directly to his victory that year. 

The veteran, who describes himself as a part-time golfer now that he spends time working as a commentator, said: “Obviously it was super special. That 6-iron just came out perfectly. I’m so happy to be here so thanks for giving me an invite six days ago. I'm really happy to get a shot at it.” 

Behind the two, Tommy Fleetwood said he was still searching for his very best golf despite a third round 67 for tied fifth place on 16 under par. 

“Five-under, bogey-free, it sounds good but it was a bit of a frustrating day because I had the chance of a really good score,” the Englishman said. “I just didn’t putt as well as I did on the first two days. Scoring is something that's a bit frustrating but, at the same time, there are so many good things going on that I can't be negative about it.” 

A forecast of strong winds on the final day could aid Fleetwood and the chasing pack in their quest to catch Hatton and Colsaerts. 

Fleetwood added: “I think it would be very difficult to chase on a flat calm day, unless you do something special like a course record. But otherwise, anything's possible and winning is not out of the realms of possibility being six shots behind.” 

Alongside Fleetwood was 23-year-old Welshman James Ashfield, who shot 67 at his favourite of the courses, Kingsbarns, to continue an impressive professional debut this week, while 22-year-old Frenchman Tom Vaillant was third on 19 under par after a superb 64 at Kingsbarns. 

“I’m just going out there and having a lot of fun at the moment, obviously my first big professional start and me and my caddy say take it shot by shot and honestly I’m just trying to play golf and not overthink it at the moment", said Ashfield. 

Seven birdies earned Jon Rahm a 65 on the Old Course that the powerful Spaniard felt could have been even better had he played a five-hole stretch on the front nine more accurately. “It was a good day and I played well but from holes four to eight I didn’t put the ball into the positions I wanted and so missed the chance of making at least a couple more birdies,” said Rahm, who starts the final round in joint seventh place on 15 under par. 

Rory McIlroy, who was followed by large crowds, made the cut after a 68 at the Old Course left him at 10 under after three rounds, delighting the galleries.  

“The best round of golf I’ve ever seen,” was how amateur Huey Lewis described his professional partner, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, after the Dane tore up Kingsbarns with 12 birdies in an 11-under-par 61. That left him one short of the course record, held by Branden Grace of South Africa, who shot 60 during the 2012 Alfred Dunhill Links. 

“It’s been awesome playing with Huey,” said Neergaard-Petersen. “He asked me at the first tee on Thursday what he had to do this week, and I told him just have a good time, if you’ve got a good mood in the group and everyone’s happy, I think that’s allowed me to play well.” 

Lewis and Neergaard-Petersen are third in the Team Competition on -34, behind Thorbjorn Olesen and Dermot Desmond on - 35 and Tyrrell and father Jerry Hatton who lead the team competition on 38 under. 

ENDS