RORY’S RUSH OF BLOOD McIlroy shares lead
THEY came in their thousands expecting to witness a Rory McIlroy runaway, but it was far from that.
Runaway golf shots, more like, with the outcome being that the final round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this afternoon will be a true contest rather than a one-man coronation.
For two days, the spectators who made up McIlroy’s enormous gallery oohed and aahed at the quality of his shots, as he established a three-shot lead.
Not so on the third day, where the frequent cry was ‘ouch!’ as wild blows left one woman with a nasty cut to her head and another with a badly-bruised hand. Throw in a marshal who also got struck and body armour and helmets might well be in order this afternoon.
McIlroy battled back manfully from a horrific start thanks to some outrageous luck on the final two holes, where successive birdies allowed him to somehow card a 71.
On both, he hit shots that would have finished out of bounds had spectators not got in the way, and he took full advantage on the holes that he didn’t birdie when playing well on the first two days.
It brought him level with Wentworth specialist Francesco Molinari, who shot a fabulous 66. With five top-ten finishes in his last six starts in this event, including runner-up last year, the 35-year-old Italian will hope to go one better with his tidy game that will provide a lovely contrast to Rory’s flamboyance.
‘I just didn’t have it today but drawing level with Frankie at the end was big,’ said McIlroy.
Asked why he had not shouted the traditional warning of ‘fore’ as his ball hurtled towards the crowd, McIlroy added: ‘I didn’t think it was going to carry that far. It was into the wind and it’s 275 yards to the bunker with a three wood.
‘I thought it was going to pitch in the bunker, so I didn’t think anyone was in danger.
‘When you see blood, the one on 18 shook me a little bit but she reassured me she was okay. It’s never nice. I remember playing the final round here in 2014 and Pablo Larrazabal hit a lady on the lefthand side of 11 and basically didn’t hit a shot for the rest of the round.
‘It’s tough. You can say sorry and give them a glove but it’s not going to do anything for them. I’m glad my ball didn’t go where it was heading and I just hope they’re okay.
‘I got lucky. I got good bounces off spectators and I rode my luck and I’m just going to have to play better to have a chance.’
McIlroy had taken a three-shot lead into the third round and was an odds-on favourite to win the £5.2million event at European Tour headquarters, but struggled to get to grips with a swirling wind.
The four-time major winner was already one-over par for the day when he attempted a risky recovery shot on the sixth, but succeeded only in crashing his ball into the crowd and hitting a young woman directly on her right hand.
As she received treatment, McIlroy went on to run up a double bogey six and fall out of the lead, but he bounced back immediately with a birdie on the seventh and picked up further shots on the 12th, 17th and 18th.
McIlroy’s second shot on the 17th clipped a marshal, who was also hit by playing partner Sam Horsfield, but it was the Northern Irishman’s errant drive on the 18th which hit a woman on the head and drew blood.
There was no damage to McIlroy, however, who still managed to finish 13 under par to pull level with Molinari, who lost out to Alex Noren here 12 months ago.
The Italian is desperate to go one better. ‘I am going to be ready,’ said Molinari. ‘I am going to do my best — whatever is in my control. There are a lot of good players up there so it won’t be easy, but I need to do what I did today, just keep in the moment and hit shot by shot and see if that will be enough.’
The leading pair are four shots ahead of Noren, Horsfield Ross Fisher and Branden Grace. Richie Ramsay is the highest-placed Scot at five under.
JUSTIN ROSE takes a four-shot lead into the final round of the Fort Worth Invitational after a 66 yesterday in Texas. Scot Russell Knox is tied for 21st after a 67.