The Open 2024 LIVE: Golf leaderboard and result as Xander Schauffele wins Claret Jug ahead of Justin Rose

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who took a two-shot lead into the third round, struggled to a 77 to fall three shots off the pace in pursuit of his second Open title.

Lowry found himself three clear when Rose and Brown both bogeyed the first and again after holing from 16 feet for birdie on the fourth.

Another birdie putt from Lowry came up inches short on the 613-yard sixth and Brown took full advantage, a superb approach leaving a tap-in.

Brown’s drive on the seventh was so far off line that it almost hit Scheffler and Dean Burmester on the eighth green, but he was fortunate to end up with a clear shot and hit a superb third to three feet to set up an unorthodox birdie.

Minutes later there was a tie at the top after both he and Lowry found the Coffin bunker on the eighth, with Brown making a bogey and Lowry a double after hitting his second shot over the green.

Horschel’s fourth birdie of the day made it a three-way tie before a combination of bogeys across the 10th and 11th left the leading trio together on five under, but Brown birdied the 12th to edge into the outright lead.

Lowry, who had complained furiously about what appeared to be members of the broadcast media in the fairway on the previous hole, three-putted the 12th from off the green to fall two behind.

Horschel, who famously followed a 67 with an 85 in similar weather the last time Troon staged the Open in 2016, only put his rain jacket on between shots as he scrambled his way to an astounding 69 to finish four under par.

That gave the 37-year-old a slender lead over six players, with Brown joined on three under by compatriot Justin Rose, US PGA champion Xander Schauffele and a trio of players who had exploited ideal early conditions.

South African Thriston Lawrence, who teed off more than three hours before the final group, carded a superb 65 to set a clubhouse target which was matched by Sam Burns (65) and Russell Henley (66).

And as the weather took a significant turn for the worse, they steadily climbed the leaderboard to end the day in a tie for second, with world number one Scottie Scheffler ominously poised another stroke behind.

Qualifier Dan Brown wrote another chapter in his incredible Open Championship story to set up a thriller of a final day at Royal Troon.

Brown, who birdied the 36th hole in qualifying to secure his major debut, defied miserable conditions to leave himself 18 holes away from a fairytale triumph.

The world number 272 held the outright lead until an unfortunate double bogey on the 18th, but a third round of 73 left him just a shot behind American Billy Horschel.

Hello and welcome to what promises to be an enthralling day of major championship golf. Follow all the latest updates from the final round of The Open at Royal Troon.