For so long, the only thing that seemed as relentless as the rain here at the 152nd Open Championship on Saturday was the fairytale of Daniel Brown. It was simply refusing to perish whatever the harshness of the realities.
The son of a Yorkshire pig farmer was revelling in the mud, inglorious mud in atrocious conditions and looked set to take an unbelievable lead  into the final round.
But Brown bogeyed the 17th and double-bogeyed the last for a 73 to fall back to three-under but he is only behind American Billy Horschel and in a tie for second is still 18 holes away from becoming Britain’s most unlikely ever winner.
What a story this could prove. After seven missed cuts in his last events, Brown, ranked 272nd in the world, came into his major debut rated a 400-1 outsider.
Those odds did not seem generous, as his parents – Mick and Kay – highlighted by only booking to stay until Friday night. They remain in town and the dream remains alive.
Horschel, a Floridian who is a West Ham fan. Horschel, the world No 62, produced one of rounds of the day with a 69. Justin Rose is in the group on three-under and his fist-pump when saving par on the 18th signals that he believes this could be his week.
The fact that Brown, 29, could keep a cigarette alight seemed impressive enough but the manner in which he coped with the elements defied his inexperience.
While playing partner Shane Lowry, who was two clear at the halfway point, suffered as he turned into the wind, Brown remained resilient. He sliced his drive off the seventh and almost took out world No 1 Scottie Scheffler on the eighth green. No matter, he had 102 yards to the pin and struck it to three feet. It summed up his opportunism. This is the chance of his life and he looks determined to grab it.
Lowry was eight-under after seven, but after finding The Coffin bunker on the Postage Stamp eighth – 130 yards long and every one a brute – he took a double-bogey and from there dropped four more shots in the next seven holes. The 2019 champion ended with a 77, but on one-under is anything but out of it. Only four shots cover the top 12.
The Open third round 2024: As it happened
08:20 PM BST
Brown finishes with a double bogey
It was a fiendish bunker shot that he had no chance of getting close. His bogey effort from almost 40 feet scared the hole, but Brown finishes with a six. Falls back to three-under, one behind the sole leader Horschel.
Alongside him, Lowry left his par putt in the jaws from around 20 feet. Lowry finishes on one-under for the tournament. That is a six-over third round of 77.
08:15 PM BST
Brown tugs his third shot left
He finds the greenside bunker. Needs to get up and down to avoid a closing double bogey that would see Billy Horschel hold the Open lead overnight.
08:12 PM BST
Brown advances his second down the fairway
Just like on the first hole, he gripped down near the steel and chipped his ball forward. Sensible shot, but he is now odds-on to drop a shot. Lowry’s second careered into the grandstand right. Will be a free drop from there. This is what he faced.
08:09 PM BST
Terrible break for Brown on the 18th
Much like MacIntyre earlier but in reverse, his drive stops on the right edge of a bunker. He might struggle to build a stance there, playing a left-handed shot is a possibility. Lowry has carved his drive so far right he may actually have found some trampled grass.
Up at the green, Horschel misses his par attempt after leaving a putt from the fringe short. He curses himself, but a two-under 69 is a sterling effort. Rose played a tasty bunker shot…and holes his par putt from seven or eight feet.
A fist pump from Rose, who reaches the clubhouse at three-under. A warm embrace between Rose and Horschel, who know how hard they worked for those scores.
08:02 PM BST
Lowry with something to cheer about
He escapes with a par on the 17th a remains at two-under after draining a 20-foot putt for par. No chance of Brown saving his par after his tee shot came to rest near the face of the bunker. Did well to splash out and take two from the edge.
Brown’s bogey means he and Horschel share the lead at five under.
Up at the 18th, Rose and Horschel just about carried the rough to reach the fairway into the draft. Rose’s second found a greenside bunker, Horschel’s ran into a swale left. Both players battling to save par.
07:53 PM BST
Lowry hits driver on the par three 17th!
He tried to thread a necky fade up the mouth of the green but did not turn it enough, and his ball flew into the greenside bunker full bore. Dan Brown has also found the same bunker.
07:51 PM BST
Scottie Scheffler finishes up on the 18th
A four at the last means Scheffler is in the clubhouse at two-under, just four off the lead. His presence on the leaderboard will be noted by his rivals.
07:48 PM BST
Horschel with another delightful pitch
From short of the par three 17th, Horschel shows his touch again to ease a pitch up to within inches of the hole. You take a three and run to the 18th tee on that hole today. Horschel stays at five-under. Rose missed the green left but on this occasions could not get up and down from sand. Rose’s fourth bogey off the week sees him fall back to three-under.
07:45 PM BST
Brown now the sole leader
He makes…
