Rory McIlroy held onto a two-shot lead at the British Open on Sunday, fending off attacks from all directions on the Old Course, and was only nine holes away from snapping an eight-year major drought.

With a four-shot lead going into the final round at St. Andrews, McIlroy and Viktor Hovland required nearly all of it as favorable conditions led to rallies up and down the leaderboard.

The Northern Irishman was practicing the patience he had been preaching all week as he reached the turn without making a bogey and with only one birdie on his scorecard.

With the exception of a bogey at the fourth, Hovland had just pars on his card going onto the back nine, but that was enough to put him two back.
The activity behind them was frantic.

The co-leaders may have noted the low numbers posted by early starters like Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand and Abraham Ancer of Mexico, who were in the clubhouse with seven-under 65s, when they set off under cloudy skies.

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