On Royal Portrush’s par-5 second, the Spaniard sent his tee shot soaring to the left. The swing was barely completed when the former Masters champ recoiled, slamming his club into the turf. However, as soon as the driver made impact with the ground, the shaft broke in two.

So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.

Scottie Scheffler moved within one round of claiming the third leg of the Grand Slam on Saturday when he shot a 4-under 67 in the British Open for a four-shot lead.

Widespread showers in the morning become scattered in the afternoon on Friday, but forecasters expect a much lighter wind of 5-10 mph coming from the southwest with a high temperature around 65 degrees. Much of the same Saturday. Cloudy with off-and-on rain, high temperatures in the mid 60s and winds from the southeast at 5-10 mph.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler was quick to point out the British Open was only at the halfway point at Royal Portrush. Considering the world's No. 1 player was in the lead , it felt like a sprint Saturday for so many players to catch up.

The Northern Ireland native picked up a ball from the thick rough, held it out in front of him and burst out laughing. While hitting a shot, he unearthed another ball.

SHOT OF THE DAY: John Parry made the first hole-in-one at this British Open, an 8-iron on the par-3 13th hole. SAVE OF THE DAY: Scheffler was buried in deep rough behind the 11th green when he chopped it out to 10 feet and made par.