Improving McIlroy makes a move in Boston
Rory McIlroy speaking in Boston
Rory McIlroy showed signs he's returning to form when he fired seven birdies in super 66 to move within four shots of the lead heading into the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston.
The world number seven took two weeks off in an attempt get his swing back into the groove for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup.
And after struggling with a two-way miss in the PGA Championship, his 10-day session with Michel Bannon appears to have paid off as he missed just three fairways in his five-under-par third round to finish the day tied for eighth on nine-under-par in the second Playoff event.
Pin seeking all day.@RoryMcIlroy is in total control.#LiveUnderPar 🎯 pic.twitter.com/IOg1WFggqk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 2, 2018
He’s just four shots behind Abraham Ancer (27), who shot a six-under 65 to lead by a stroke on 13-under par from Tyrrell Hatton and FedEx Cup leader Bryson DeChambeau, who finished birdie-birdie-eagle for an eight-under 63 alongside Tiger Woods.
DeChambeau would love to partner Woods if he gets one of the three Ryder Cup wildcards US skipper Jim Furyk will announce tomorrow and he was inspired by a player he described as his “childhood idol”.
"It was awesome," said DeChambeau, who outscored Woods by five strokes. "I was just in the zone all day and executing great shots."
Seven off the lead overnight after a second round 67, McIlroy got the fast start he wanted when he birdied the first, second and fourth before following a bogey at the fifth with four birdies in his next eight holes.
After a chip and putt birdie at the par-five seventh, he hit a 144-yard approach to four feet at the ninth, birdied the 10th from 15 feet and rifled a 134-yard approach to two feet to set up his seventh birdie of the day at the 13th.
A fast finish looked on the cards, but he stalled and did well to salvage a bogey at the 152-yard 16th after coming up short in the water and then lipped out from 12 feet at the 17th before missing a six-footer for birdie at the par-five 18th.
Hatton lost a ball and double-bogeyed the 12th but birdied the last for a 69 that leaves him tied for second with DeChambeau while Australian Cameron Smith and England's Justin Rose are a shot further back
Caldwell moves up
On the Challenge Tour, Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell moved up to 79th in the rankings when he closed with a five-under 65 to tie for fourth in the Cordon Golf Open.
He finished five shots behind Jack Singh Brar, who shot 67 to win by three shots from Spain's Adri Arnaus on 15-under with Michael Hoey tied 11th after a 68 and Gavin Moynihan tied 16th after a 65, the other leading Irish finishers.
Seniors update - Smyth and Clarke best of the Irish
On the Staysure Tour, Des Smyth (65) clinched his first top-10 finish for more than two years when he closed with a one-under 71 to tie for tenth, 11 strokes behind England's Paul Streeter in the Travis Perkins Masters at Woburn.
Streeter shot 73 to win by two shots on 12 under from American Clark Dennis with Brendan McGovern tied 14th on one-over after a 71, Philip Walton 44th after a 75 and Eamonn Darcy tied 53rd after a 73.
On the PGA Tour Champions, Darren Clarke finished tied for 28th behind Scott McCarron in the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary to earn $19,505.
The Dungannon man bogeyed two of his last four holes to close with a one-over 71, finishing 12 strokes behind McCarron, who shot a final round 63 at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club to win by one stroke from Scott Parel, Kirk Triplett and Joe Durant on 15-under, winning $352,500.
