McIlroy lurking as he seeks triumphant end to magical homecoming at The K Club
ADRIEN SADDIER of France. Picture: Getty Images
Rory McIlroy knows he must get off to a fast start if he's to come from four shots behind Frenchman Adrien Saddier and claim his second Amgen Irish Open win and a pre-Ryder Cup confidence boost at The K Club.
While he struggled at times with distance control in a stiff southwest wind that gusted over 33 mph, the Masters champion looked to be playing in second gear as he extended his bogey-free run to 37 holes and carded a four-under 68 to share fourth place on 11-under par.
"I feel like Scottie Scheffler," joked the Holywood star, who hasn't made a bogey since the 17th hole of his opening round. "I haven't really put myself in too many positions where it looked like I was making a bogey, and I've holed out well."
Hailed like a conquering hero all week after completing the career Grand Slam in April, he's looking to get his game sharp for the Ryder Cup, and so far, it's been a case of mission accomplished.
"For a week where I wanted to come in here and see some good signs in my game, I've definitely done that," McIlroy said.
"Tomorrow's all about getting out there and competing and trying to put a bit of pressure on the guys behind."
Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie have three Irish Open wins each, but McIlroy is not thinking yet of what it would mean to join the likes of Jon Rahm, Sam Torrance, Mark James or Harry Bradshaw with a brace.
"Look, if that were to happen, you think about that afterwards," he said. "But look, it's nice to be amongst those names and in that conversation.”
Saddier (33) will be no pushover for McIlroy and the rest of the chasing pack, having broken through to win the Italian Open in June.
After making seven birdies in a 68, he's got a one-stroke lead on 14-under-par over Spain's Angel Hidalgo, who made seven birdies in a row and 12 in all in a stunning 63 he described as "PlayStation" golf.
Another Spaniard, Alfred Garcia Heredia (43) eagled the last to outscore playing partner McIlroy by one stroke to sit alone in third on 12-under.
But all eyes will be on the Co Down man, who is tied for fourth with halfway leader Joakim Lagergren, who shot 73, on 11-under and gunning to keep Marco Penge at arm's length in his quest for a seventh Race to Dubai title.
He knows the sellout 12,800-strong crowd will be pulling for him today, and he appears to be thoroughly enjoying the adulation.
"Incredible," he said. "It's just so cool to play out here in this atmosphere. The crowds are great. Even Alfredo had a great round of golf, and they were very supportive of him. Just amazing, amazing crowds, and I'm expecting more of the same tomorrow, so looking forward to it."
With Shane Lowry out of contention, eight strokes off the lead after a 70, McIlroy will have to balance his quest for a fast start with plenty of patience.
"I had to stay patient today, because I felt like my golf was better than what I ended up shooting," he said.
"I felt like I could have shot two or three better. But tournament golf is a bit of a marathon, and you have to pace yourself. Anything can happen over 18 holes tomorrow. So we'll see."
As Tom McKibbin struggled to find fairways early on and shot 74 to slip back to 38th on three under, Lowry hit the ball well but endured a frustrating day on the rain-softened greens, missing four putts inside 12 feet before lipping out from two-and-a-half feet for birdie at the last.
"I've hit the ball really nicely, way better than yesterday," Lowry said after carding a 70 that left him in a tie for 21st on six under. "But I just couldn't get the ball in the hole on the greens, which is disappointing, frustrating.
"I felt like my iron play was poor yesterday, so it was really nice to hit some really nice iron shots today. But my putting was poor today, so maybe it will get better tomorrow."
Determined to look on the bright side as the Ryder Cup approaches, he added, "I feel like that's some of the best golf I've played all year today. So I'm very upbeat about tomorrow, next week, and in three weeks' time. If I keep hitting the ball like that, I'll be alright.
Lowry has no problem admitting he's a streaky putter, but he lost confidence quickly on the bumpy greens.
"The reason I'm missing short putts is I'm hitting them too hard, trying to jam them in the hole, and my pace has been off," he explained.
"Look, I'm a streaky putter, and when I get going, I'm really good, and when I'm off, I'm not great. It is what it is."
The good news for the 2019 Open champion is that his season-long quest for a driver looks to be over.
"I couldn't be happier with it," he said after getting back some lost yardage.
It was also a frustrating day for Laytown and Bettystown's Alex Maguire, who again struggled with some big misses from the tee and added to his woes with a self-inflicted rules error as he shot a 73 that left him tied for 52nd on one under.
After driving into the penalty area at the seventh, he took his drop outside the hazard but then re-dropped as he was standing inside the red line with his ball outside it and mistakenly thought he had to take full relief.
"I called a referee over and explained it to him and he said if the ball is in play, it doesn't matter where you're standing,” explained Maguire, who incurred a one-stroke penalty and made a double bogey there. "So I had to call a penalty on myself, which was frustrating."
He described his day as" horrendous", adding that his driving accuracy has been a problem.
But while he has a chance to more than double the €5,595 he's made on the HotelPlanner Tour this year, he's looking to simply play well.
"The prize money, it is what it is," he said. "I'm going to earn whatever I'm going to earn. At least I'm earning something. But the last thing I want to be doing is thinking about prize money out there.
"I'm worried because I'm nervous over shots, not because of how much money I can lose or gain. I'm nervous because I'm in the Irish Open, and I'm playing with big players, and I have a big crowd following me, and I want to play well just for myself.”
Amgen Irish Open, The K Club (Par 72)
After 54 holes
-15 A Saddier (FRA) 67 66 68
-14 A Hidalgo (ESP) 70 69 63
-12 A Garcia-Heredia (ESP) 72 65 67
-11 R McIlroy (NIR) 71 66 68, J Lagergren (SWE) 70 62 73
-10 J Olesen (DEN) 69 70 67,R Cabrera Bello (ESP) 68 71 67, O Lindell (FIN) 68 70 68
-9 T Olesen (DEN) 66 71 70
-8 S Norris (RSA) 72 71 65, A Ayora (ESP) 69 71 68, D Brown (ENG) 67 75 66, B Wu (USA) 70 68 70, H Brown (NZL) 70 68 70, D Hillier (NZL) 71 66 71
-7 J Winther (DEN) 72 69 68, C Jarvis (RSA) 69 72 68, B Schmidt (ENG) 69 70 70, T Pulkkanen (FIN) 69 69 71, T Hatton (ENG) 70 68 71
-6 T Clements (ENG) 70 72 68, C Sordet (FRA) 73 70 67, S Lowry (IRL) 69 71 70, T Detry (BEL) 73 69 68, N Lemke (SWE) 69 71 70, R Langasque (FRA) 66 74 70
-5 J Parry (ENG) 73 69 69, A Levy (FRA) 70 72 69, D Ravetto (FRA) 68 70 73
-4 M Manassero (ITA) 70 74 68, E Chacarra (ESP) 72 71 69, M Elvira (ESP) 68 76 68, J Senior (ENG) 71 71 70, J Ko (FRA) 70 73 69, E Smylie (AUS) 73 69 70, R Sterne (RSA) 71 70 71, L Canter (ENG) 69 71 72
-3 T Aiken (RSA) 69 75 69, G Migliozzi (ITA) 71 71 71, T Vaillant (FRA) 70 71 72, T McKibbin (NIR) 71 68 74, J De Bruyn (GER) 70 70 73, A Cockerill (CAN) 70 68 75
-2 J Vegas (VEN) 72 72 70, A Otaegui (ESP) 70 73 71, R Fisher (ENG) 72 71 71, N Elvira (ESP) 66 76 72, A Del Rey (ESP) 71 72 71, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 72 67 75, J Moscatel (ESP) 69 73 72, B Wiesberger (AUT) 67 71 76
-1 A Halvorsen (NOR) 70 73 72, J Luiten (NED) 73 69 73, N Von Dellingshausen (GER) 73 70 72, A Maguire (IRL) 70 72 73, K Aphibarnrat (THA) 71 71 73, D Bryant (USA) 72 68 75, M Penge (ENG) 70 70 75
E D Naidoo (RSA) 74 70 72, S Crocker (USA) 73 71 72, M Armitage (ENG) 71 73 72, Z Lombard (RSA) 67 77 72, Y Katsuragawa (JPN) 72 71 73, K Kobori (NZL) 75 69 72, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 73 70 73
+1 M Laird (SCO) 70 74 73, M Lindberg (SWE) 69 75 73, P Reed (USA) 74 70 73, P O'Hara (SCO) 70 72 75, J Svensson (SWE) 72 71 74, S Forsström (SWE) 70 68 79
Rd 4 Tee times
07:10 R Williams, S Forsström
07:19 P O'Hara, J Svensson
07:28 P Reed, M Lindberg
07:37 M Laird, E Van Rooyen
07:46 Y Katsuragawa, K Kobori
07:55 M Armitage, Z Lombard
08:04 S Crocker, D Naidoo
08:13 M Penge, D Bryant
08:27 K Aphibarnrat, A Maguire
08:36 J Luiten, N Von Dellingshausen
08:45 A Halvorsen, B Wiesberger
08:54 C Bezuidenhout, J Moscatel
09:03 N Elvira, A Del Rey
09:12 R Fisher, A Otaegui
09:21 J Vegas, A Cockerill
09:36 T McKibbin, J De Bruyn
09:46 T Vaillant, G Migliozzi
09:56 T Aiken, L Canter
10:06 R Sterne, E Smylie
10:16 J Senior, J Ko
10:26 E Chacarra, M Elvira
10:36 M Manassero, D Ravetto
10:51 J Parry, A Levy
11:01 R Langasque, N Lemke
11:11 S Lowry, T Detry
11:21 T Clements, C Sordet
11:31 T Pulkkanen, T Hatton
11:41 B Schmidt, C Jarvis
11:51 J Winther, D Hillier
12:06 H Brown, B Wu
12:16 A Ayora, D Brown
12:26 S Norris, T Olesen
12:36 O Lindell, R Cabrera Bello
12:46 J Olesen, J Lagergren
12:56 R McIlroy, A Garcia-Heredia
13:06 A Hidalgo, A Saddier
