Rory McIlroy sends Portrush wild as he bounces back from freak incident to keep his Open dream alive
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Rory McIlroy carded a rollercoaster Saturday 66 as Royal Portrush as he tried to chase down overnight leader Scottie Scheffler at The Open.
After carding a three-under-par front nine, McIlroy endured a freak incident on 11 that cost him bogey, and bounced back with a stunning eagle on 12. One more birdie followed at 15 to claw him one shot further up the board and get in the clubhouse at-8.
Paul Kimmage at The Open
It kept his dreams of winning the Claret Jug alive as he had closed to within five of leader Scottie Scheffler when he left the course.
How realistic his hopes were? Well that was in the hands of the world number one, who was still out on the course.
Follow along with all the week's action right here on our blog:
2 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Finally for Fitzpatrick!
It's been a largely miserable back nine for Matt Fitzpatrick, but he rolls in his birdie putt on 15 to climb back to double figures and into a tie for second with Haotong Li. The Englishman needed that - now what can he do on the difficult final three?
12 minutes ago
Another drops back
Tyrrell Hatton is the latest to lose a shot as he misses the green long and left at Calamity and can't make up-and-down from there, so he's back to -8.
As a consequence, as it stands Rory McIlroy is in the penultimate group tomorrow afternoon.
16 minutes ago
Scheffler's unstoppable
Even when it looks like he's going to drop a shot, he's able to scramble for par as he hits his chip to nine-feet and, even though it has a bit of right-to-left swing in it, he reads it just right and sees it drop for the par to stay -13.
Rammed it in, too. That's a man who just has unlimited confidence.
20 minutes ago
Rory McIlroy (-8): Saturday 66
That'll do. A two putt par on 18 completes a round that absolutely thrilled his fans out here at Royal Portrush. Chants of 'Rory, Rory, Rory' echoed across the final holes as the grand slam winner pulled himself up the leaderboard in an attempt to keep alive his hopes of winning The Open Championship at home.
Just how realistic those hopes are going into the final round? Well that's now in the hands of world number one Scottie Scheffler.
It was a round that included everything; three birdies in the opening four holes to turn Portrush electric, a freak incident with an unknown buried ball on 11, a bounce-back eagle and one more birdie for a final flourish.
The dream lives on.
24 minutes ago
Scheffler in the thick of it
He's drawn an ugly lie off the tee on the 14th down the left-hand side by the looks of things on the TV. How far he can advance it towards the green is another. This may be a hack out and rely on the short game job.
And it will be. He does extremely well to advance it to just shy of the green and an up-and-down is needed to save par.
24 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Right side of the green
Well, the wrong side to the pin. But it's in no danger, almost 50 feet out and you just never know! As Harry Diamond would say, 'he's Rory f**king McIlroy'.
Hole that for 65.
26 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Wood you look at that
Lee Westwood breaks the 30-barrier for a nine-hole score as he lips out for birdie on 18 but still signs for an inward nine of 29 and a two-under 69 on Saturday to keep him relevant at -5. What a recovery from the Englishman.
Having Fitz
Matt Fitzpatrick is having a really torrid time of it now as, after failing to birdie 12, he compounds it with a bogey at the par-three 13th having missed the green long and has dropped back into a share of third at -9. Only six holes ago he'd just had his last birdie and was one off the lead.
29 minutes ago
He's ok off 18
Rory's tee shot heads towards the sand but is stopped by the semi rough. Well judged. Imagine what this 4,000 seater stand, and the thousands more down the fairway, will do if he gets this close. Boogaloo.
Hao about that
Oh Haotong, that's a costly error. The China star three-putts the par-three 13th from 45 feet and he drops out of a share of second and into third at -9...
... but then immediately jumps back up into a share of second with Fitzpatrick as he bounces back with a birdie at the 14th thanks to a brilliant approach to nine feet!
He is also, by the looks of this picture, a magician who can make putters float. If that was me then I would pack in the golf and make a killing in Vegas.
34 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Group-watch: Where will Rory be tomorrow?
He's currently in a tie for fifth and could do with a birdie on the last if he is going to get into the penultimate group tomorrow. Unfortunately those have been at an absolute premium today.
38 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Problem, what problem?
Rory lofts it skyward, pitches it beside the pin and it rolls on to just around 15 feet for birdie. The crowd are loving it. It's not quite Shane Saturday levels, but if this goes in it might get close.
Edit: Unfortunately it was always right and never quite right. Tap-in par. Sure look, five minutes ago we'd have taken it.
39 minutes ago
Missed chance for the last group
Two pars on the short par-five 12th for Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick as the former plays what, by his standards, is a poor approach with his third and simply two-putts, while the latter three-putts from the back of the green and looks sickened by it. He's stalled and can't get it back into gear.
Scheffler's lead is still three at -13 over the Englishman.
42 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
'It's the right play but it must be in trouble'
A member of the press comments as Rory hits driver, but hits it right. It's gone over 320 and not super off line but, again, all comes down to the lie.
Edit: It's not great, now. Similar to where Scheffler was, close to 18th tee, last night.
There's a blue barrier not too far away as well. To be continued. The difference to last night as well is that the pin is much tighter to the bunker Rory has to come over. Par would be just smashing, from here.
43 minutes ago
Back nine of the week?
Lee Westwood has quietly put together an unbelievable back-nine performance, picking up six birdies and two pars thru 17 to pull himself back into the mix (just) at -5. The only two holes he parred - the two par-threes!
48 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
RORY RORY RORY RORY
His chant goes up from all angles between the 16th green and 17th tee. Then presumably around a screen far away, some shot or other is replayed and the chant goes up from there. Everyone back here joins in for another rendition.
And then some guy chants 'United' afterwards. At least Rory wouldn't mind.
51 minutes ago
All-time club throw
It comes from Robert MacIntyre, who pushes his approach shot into the par-four 14th to the left which is an absolute no-go on that hole and proceeds to spike his club into the ground with such ferocity that it recoils and spins into the air and out of shot of the camera. Might be the best one I've ever seen.
You can't overly blame him, either, to be honest. He three-putted the par-five 12th for just a par and has now added a bogey on the 14th, so he drops back to -6 which is seven adrift.
53 minutes ago
Bunker bound for Scottie
He's in one of the fairway traps on the par-five 12th which means he won't be going for the green in two and will it mean he misses the opportunity to extend his lead on the easiest hole on the course?
Matt Fitzpatrick crushes one down the middle, so he will definitely be going for it in two.
56 minutes ago
Phew. Survival.
Rory's ball is grand down there and it's actually a simple enough chip uphill. Tap in par and it's another eruption from the crowd.
That'll do just fine. One the third hardest hole today, he won't be losing a shot to the field with a par.
57 minutes ago
What a par save
Any time it looks like the door might open, Scottie Scheffler slams it shut in the most emphatic of fashions. The par putt, with a slight left-to-right break, never looks like going anywhere but straight in the middle of the hole and he saves the four to remain -13...
... and open up a three-shot lead as Matt Fitzpatrick bogeys the same hole after finding a poor lie off the tie to fall back into a share of second alongside Haotong Li at -10.
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