McIlroy and Hovland bring touches of magic and theatre to St Andrews

Golf is not just about numbers, although it would be meaningless without them. What excites players and spectators alike is the occasional magic trick, something memorable to bring delight and joy to all who love the game – even the LIV renegades lurking further down the table.

Such a moment arrived for Rory McIlroy and the rest of us on the 10th, the 386-yard par four named after a magician of long ago, the triple Open champion, Bobby Jones, who mastered this course twice, in 1926 and 1927.

A classically giant McIlroy drive flew like a bird, headed for the heart of the green, until the ball rolled agonisingly into the greenside bunker. But the Irishman is the master of grand theatre and, in front of the packed stands assembled around the St Andrews Loop to view the doings on three holes at the turn, he exploded out as only he can. The ball arrowed skyward, dropped at precisely the right point in its flight and, after a 27-yard journey, landed ever so softly in the hole for an eagle – and the shot of the championship.

Fans had been waiting patiently for hours for something like this and the roar filled the air in all directions. McIlroy was in front of the field, alongside his playing partner, Viktor Hovland, who was playing with similar zest.

There were fears – in the inner sanctum of the R&A rather than the locker room – that someone would overpower this venerated course at the weekend. McIlroy threatened to do just that, but still gave it a damn good shake with five birdies and an eagle, leavened by a late bogey, that lifted him into a share of the lead going into the closing day.

The choice at and near the top of the leaderboard at the start of the third day was to stick or twist, and it was heartening to see McIlroy