Billy Horschel hopes his vision of lifting Claret Jug comes true on Sunday

American Billy Horschel has gone to bed every night this week contemplating winning The Open but he is closer than ever to that becoming a reality after grinding his way to the top of the leaderboard on a brutal third day at Royal Troon.

The 37-year-old shot a 69 in the worst of the wind and rain and, despite being six under at one point and bogeying the last, his four-under total was enough for a one-stroke 54-hole lead.

He benefited from Englishman Dan Brown double-bogeying the 18th to elevate him to that position but it is something Horschel has spent the last six nights imagining.

“Something I’ve done this year, and I’ve done a better job of it this week, is sort of manifest seeing myself holding the trophy before I go to sleep every night,” said the Floridian, whose travels overseas have made him something of an Anglophile with a liking for West Ham, darts and cricket.

“Envisioning myself holding that trophy on 18, walking out to the crowd and being congratulated as Open champion.

“That’s what I’m going to do again tonight and hopefully that comes true tomorrow.

“If it doesn’t, then I’ll get back on the grind and work harder to get back in a position like this again.”

The Florida golfer has won 10 tournaments in his career, the biggest the 2014 Tour Championship, but in 41 major appearances has accrued just two top-10s and 13 missed cuts.

He turns 38 in December and had already squared it with himself that he is comfortable ending a career without a major.

“There’s a couple of things that are missing on my CV,” he added.

“Obviously being part of a Ryder Cup, hopefully a victorious Ryder Cup, and then a major. I want to win more than one major.

“I’ve won a lot of really good events on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

“And if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be, but I know that I can look myself in the mirror in the next 10 to 15 years and say ‘Hey, listen, I did everything I could to be the best player I could, and it just wasn’t on the cards for me to win a major.

“I look at guys that have had heck of careers, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, and they don’t have a major on their record.

“I’ve learned a lot about the game of golf playing 15 years professionally. I think I’ve learned how to handle my emotions.

“I’ve learned how to embrace a lot of things. I’m never afraid to fail.”

World number one Scottie Scheffler is lurking ominously only two behind after a level-par 71 in some of the worst conditions.

“The back nine, I think was probably the hardest nine holes that I’ll ever play,” he said.

“I shouldn’t say ever, but it’s definitely the hardest that I’ve played to this point. I probably don’t hit a three-wood on a par-three very often.”

Scheffler is looking for his seventh win and second major of a remarkable season and after Brown’s late slip knows he remains in with a good chance of matching the 1962 record of Arnold Palmer – who coincidentally won the Masters and the Open at Troon that year.

“I’ve got a good amount of guys in front of me, but yes, my goal kind of making the turn going into the back nine was do what I could to stay in the tournament and steal some shots where I could.

“There wasn’t really much to steal on the back nine so it was good getting in.”