Rory: “It will have as much if not more meaning because of everything that I've gone through over the last couple years”
Rory McIlroy at the Honda Classic in 2012
Rory McIlroy admits getting back to world number one will feel even more special than the first time if he turns a one-shot lead into victory in the CJ Cup in South Carolina today.
The Holywood star made two spectacular eagle threes in a four-under 67 to lead by a shot from KH Lee, Kurt Kitayama and Jon Rahm on 13-under par at Congaree.
He will go back to number one if he wins and Scottie Scheffler, who is tied 47th, doesn't finish solo second or in a two-way tie for second.
He would also overtake Scheffler if he finishes solo second and the Masters champion finishes worse than solo 34th.
It’s been more than two years since McIlroy was last ranked world number one but after going down some “rabbit holes” in his career, he admits getting back there would feel as good or better than it did when he first pulled it off by winning the Honda Classic ten years ago.
“Yeah, so the week before Honda was Match Play and Hunter (Mahan) beat me in the final,” he recalled last night. “So if I had won the final in that, I would have got to No. 1, so it felt like it was a second chance for me.
“Yeah, there's an excitement level of doing something for the first time that I think you're never going to get back again.
“But again, it's still something that everyone out here would obviously be very, very proud of.
“It's been a long journey from when I was No. 1 back in July of 2020, it's been two years and a bunch of stuff has happened, so I think that thinking back along it will be -- it mightn't have the excitement that 2012 did, but it will have as much if not more meaning because of everything that I've sort of went through over the last couple years.”
Not only has McIlroy become a father since he was last ranked number one, he’s also taken a few wrong turnings with his swing.
“Yeah, I'm a father now, so that's different,” he said. “I went on a couple of rabbit holes since then as well with my swing and my game. So being able to come back up out of those rabbit holes and find my way back, that's the really satisfying part.”
It was a frustrating day for Shane Lowry, who was three-under after eight holes but bogeyed the ninth and then missed an 18-inch putt at the 11th - lipping out as he casually stepped in to make a tap-in- en route to a level par 71 that saw him slip to tied 14th, six shots behind McIlroy on six-under.
With the course firming up, Seamus Power dropped four shots coming home and shot a three-over 74 to fall to tied 31st on three-under.
McIlroy went into the third round just two shots behind Kitayama and Rahm but hit a 227-yard six-iron inside three feet to notch the first of two eagles at the 569-yard fourth.
In a round featuring three birdies and three bogeys, he preferred his second eagle at the 570-yard 12th, where a 376-yard 12th left him just an eight iron that ran through the green before he knocked in a 32-footer.
“I think the eagle on 12 was the most fun, just after how far I hit the tee shot,” he said.
As for becoming world number one for the ninth time, he added: “You know, the ranking will just take care of itself if I do what I want to do. Ultimately, I just want to win this golf tournament.
“If I win the golf tournament, then everything will take care of itself.
“So for me, tomorrow I need to go out there, sort of set myself a score that I want to shoot, try to do that.
“Again, focusing on that, hope that that ends up with a couple of things, a trophy and getting back to the top of the world rankings.
“But all I can focus on is going out and shooting a good golf score and if I can do that, I guess that's all I can ask of myself.”
On the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington goes into the final round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic just three shots behind Jerry Kelly at the Country Club of Virginia.
Lying second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race with two events to go after this week, Harrington shot a bogey-free, five under 67 to share third place on nine-under with Doug Barron.
Kelly shot 67 to lead by two strokes on 12-under from Charles Schwab Cup leader Steven Alker of New Zealand, who shot 65.
Harrington does not want to fall further behind Alker, and he was pleased to join him and Kelly in the final group today.
He knows he will have to go low to win his fourth title of the season.
“I've got to play every hole as well as I can to try and get ahead of the game all day and wait for a run,” Harrington said. “Realistically, that's it. You just play and then hopefully you get that run where you make three, four, five birdies in a row quickly.
“But it doesn't matter whether that happens, early or late, as long as you get that run at some stage.”
