5 storylines to watch on Sunday at The Open

Brian Harman running away with the Open Championship is certainly not something many people had in their crystal ball for this week at Royal Liverpool.

The 54-hole leader wobbled early Saturday with two bogeys in his first four holes, but he played nearly flawless golf over the last 14 to shoot 69 and maintain his five-shot edge.

Anything less than a Harman victory would be a stunner at this point, but there's still plenty to watch for over the final round at Royal Liverpool.

Here are five storylines to focus on for Sunday.

Harman's closing ability

Harman plays golf left-handed but is right-hand dominant in the rest of his life. Forcing him to play from the right side Sunday might be the only chance the rest of the field has at running him down at Royal Liverpool. The 36-year-old maintained the 5-shot lead he held coming into Saturday, as he poured in four birdies over his final 14 holes to cancel out two early bogeys.

It seems borderline impossible for Harman to lose a five-shot lead given how in control he is on the greens at Royal Liverpool. The American is dominating the field in strokes gained: putting and is an outrageous 44-for-44 in putts under 10 feet this week.

Those wanting a dramatic final round might be encouraged by the fact that Harman's lead is five instead of six. He held that edge for a portion of the day Saturday until Cam Young birdied 18 to cut it to five. That number is the largest 54-hole lead ever lost at The Open, with Jean Van De Velde the last to do so in 1999.

Harman has held a 54-hole lead in a major just once in his career at the 2017 U.S. Open. However, that advantage was just one shot over Brooks Koepka, who eventually won the title with a sizzling 67 in the final round to beat Harman by four strokes.

Rahm looks to finish epic comeback

Not even the most ardent Jon Rahm supporters would've expected the Spaniard to sit in third place after he began Saturday 12 strokes off the lead. But after making the cut by one shot Friday afternoon, Rahm went nuclear with the best round ever seen at an Open Championship held at Royal Liverpool.

The two-time major champion birdied seven of his last 10 holes, including a brilliant up-and-down at the 18th to post an 8-under 63 and fly 37 places up the leaderboard. He'll begin the final round six strokes back of the lead in the second-to-last group.

A win Sunday would put Rahm in rarefied air in a number of ways. Only seven men, including zero Europeans, have ever won an Open Championship, a U.S. Open, and a Masters. His 12-shot deficit after 36 holes would also mark the biggest comeback in a major championship since 1920.

Young to go low Sunday again

In the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews, Young entered the final round four shots off the lead in the second-to-last group of the day. Young finds himself one shot worse but one group better Sunday at Royal Liverpool after a brilliant 66 in Round 3. Trailing by five shots, the 25-year-old will try to chase down Harman alongside the leader in the final group.

Young undoubtedly has the firepower to make a serious move toward the Claret Jug. He would've won at St. Andrews with his final-round 65 had Cameron Smith not done him one better with a 64. That has to give the American confidence in his chances Sunday, especially with Harman having never won a major title before.

Young's ball-striking has been a sight to behold this week in England, as he ranks first in strokes gained: approach and second in strokes gained: off the tee. However, he's 117th in the field in putting. If he can figure out the tricky greens prior to his round Sunday, the final day might not just be a Harman coronation.

How Royal Liverpool plays Sunday

While the opening two rounds at Royal Liverpool weren't nearly as firm and fast as the last two Open Championships played there, there was enough bounce in the turf to challenge the world's best. That wasn't the case Saturday with the rain softening the conditions and making the layout very scoreable.

The scoring average through two rounds was 73.37, just over one stroke above the par of 71 at Royal Liverpool. Saturday's scoring saw 11 rounds of 67 or better, with Rahm's record 63 the best of the bunch. That put the average for Round 3 at 70.36 with only 20 rounds over par on the day.

Sunday's setup will be crucial to injecting much-needed drama to the event's finale. If the course is conducive for plenty of birdies, Harman might not make enough bogeys to be run down. If the setup is difficult, birdies might be hard to come by. Finding the perfect middle ground will be critical.

Fitzpatrick family showdown

The entire golfing world is familiar with the work of Matt Fitzpatrick after he won the U.S. Open last year in dramatic fashion at The Country Club. However, the Englishman isn't even the low member of his family on the leaderboard at The Open. That honor belongs to his younger brother, Alex.

The 24-year-old birdied three of his last four holes Saturday, including one on the 18th, to shoot a sizzling 6-under 65 and move up 31 spots on the leaderboard. One of those players he passed was his brother. Matt's 67 has him at 2-under, two strokes behind Alex.

The brothers' paths to the Open Championship came in very different manners. Matt, who ranks 552 places ahead of his brother in the Official World Golf Rankings, was an automatic qualifier for the event. Alex, meanwhile, advanced through qualifying thanks largely to this incredible bunker shot from his knees.

Should the Fitzpatricks both have a strong finish Sunday, they could become the second set of brothers to do so at Royal Liverpool. Francesco and Edoardo Molinari both nabbed a top-15 showing at the last Open Championship on the course in 2014.