You never know what can happen on the Old Course. Given that he trails the Dunhill Links Championship leader by six shots with one round to go, Calum Hill is facing the kind of mighty reeling-in job that Captain Ahab embarked on in Moby Dick.
The Scot is certainly going to revel in the thrill of the chase, though. “If I can recreate similar things to what I did today, then you never know, there may be a super low one,” he said after making a decent stride up the order in round three.
While Casey Jarvis fortified his position at the top with a seven-under 65 over the Old Course for an 18-under aggregate, Hill conjured a lively 65 of his own at Kingsbarns to elbow his way into the top-10 on 12-under.
at Dunhill Links while playing with Brooks Koepka
Those watching Hill from the sidelines certainly got their money’s worth. Well, they would’ve done if they had actually paid to get in, but admission is free for the opening three days.
Anyway, Hill put on a show and signalled his intent with three birdies in a row to start as he bounded to the turn in 31.
A birdie-eagle salvo at 11 and 12 bolstered his assault but the momentum came to a shuddering halt when US-based Hill made a double-bogey on 13 and leaked another shot on 14.
"We dream of it. Every golfer dreams of taking a lead, playing the Old Course on Sunday."
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 3, 2026
Casey Jarvis will look to seal his third win of the season and make a dream come true on Sunday at the @dunhilllinks. #DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/T3DzOfH5Ic
The Scot rallied on the run-in, though, and reeled off back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17 to jump into a tie for eighth heading into the closing round over the Old Course.
“I putted great today and I really had it going to begin with,” said the two-time DP World Tour winner.
“Obviously, there was a bit of a blunder midway through the back nine, but I recovered well. All in all, it was good.”
Hill has plenty to play for on this St. Andrews Sunday. The 31-year-old currently sits 24th on the Race to Dubai and is still in the hunt to nab one of the 10 golden tickets to the PGA Tour that are on offer through the rankings come the end of the season.
The final charge for the line will probably see a bayonet being attached to his driver.
“I live in the States, so the goal is obviously to reduce my travel a little bit and make the PGA Tour,” said Hill of his quest to join the world’s elite on the U.S.-based circuit.
“I've been trying my best all year. It's just a case of continuing to do what I've been doing, and we'll see if that is good enough at the end of the year.
“There are a lot of chances. Every week's a big week from now on, so you just need one to go really well. It would be nice take advantage on Sunday here and really move on.”
Connor Syme, who has endured a trying, frustrating year but has given himself a timely tonic here on home soil, joined Hill on 12-under after a 67 on the Old Course while defending champion, Robert MacIntyre, had a 68 in the Auld Grey Toun to finish alongside his compatriots on that tally.
A double-bogey on the second was a bit of a scunner for MacIntyre but a haul of six birdies helped repair that early damage. “It was just one bad hole, but you can’t afford to do that,” sighed MacIntyre of that costly excursion into a bush.
“We’ll need to see if I’m too far back. I’ll just go out and shoot as low as I can on Sunday and see where I end up.”
At the head of the field, overnight leader Jarvis, a two-time winner on the tour in 2026, emerged from the third round with a two-shot lead over Matthew Jordan of England and Poland’s Adrian Meronk.
Jarvis wasted no time in getting cracking. On his first hole of the day – the 10th – his nicely executed approach from 103 yards out dropped into the hole for an eagle two. That’s the way to do it.
A bag of five birdies would follow in a tidy round as Jarvis teed-up the possibility of something every golfer wants; a victory in the cradle of the game.
“Every golfer dreams of taking a lead into a Sunday on the Old Course,” said the 24-year-old. “I get goosebumps right now just standing here. I just can't wait for the final round.”
Jordan, a winner of the St. Andrews Links Trophy here as an amateur, packed six birdies into eight holes in a 66 at Kingsbarns for 16-under while Meronk blasted seven birdies and an eagle in a rousing 63 over the same Kingsbarns links.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Casey Jarvis leads at Dunhill Links, but trio is lurking
