Rory soars up leaderboard with sizzling round of 66
RORY McILROY roared back into contention at the WGC in Brandenton, Florida yesterday with a sizzling third-round 66 to go into the final day on eleven under par.
The Northern Ireland golfer had produced a mixed bag over the first two days, following up his opening round 69 with a frustrating 70 on Friday, but last night he hit form in a dramatic 18 holes of golf.
McIlroy shot three birdies and a double bogey on the first nine before firing four birdies and an eagle (on 13) during a rollercoaster back nine, disappointment coming with a bogey on the 11th hole.
It leaves him well posiitoned for a final-day push, among a bunch of contenders including Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson, who will fancy their chances of hauling in leader Collin Morikawa.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is ‘in good spirits’ after being moved to a new hospital in Los Angeles for treatment from multiple injuries sustained in a serious car accident.
A post from the golfer’s Twitter account said the 45-year-old ‘received follow-up procedures’ on his injuries at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre on Friday morning.
‘The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits,’ the tweet signed TGR added.
Open fractures to the 45-year-old’s tibia and fibula and further injuries to his foot and ankle were stabilised during surgery with the insertion of a rod, screws and pins.
The severity of the injuries, coupled with the fact that he was already sidelined following a fifth back operation, leaves the prospects of the 15-time major winner being able to return to action hanging in the balance.
Woods survived ‘what would otherwise have been a fatal crash’ on Tuesday morning because the interior of his vehicle remained largely intact, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
He added that ‘deputies at the time did not see any evidence of impairment’ after arriving on the scene at 7.18am local time and confirmed on Wednesday that Woods was ‘not drunk’ and that the crash was ‘purely an accident”.
The tweet said Woods and his family ‘want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past few days’.
They added there would be no further updates at this time.
Elsewhere, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko shot a three-under 69 to take the lead on the second day of the Gainbridge tournament in Orlando, Florida, as Annika Sorenstam made the cut in her first appearance on the LPGA tour in more than 12 years.
Sorenstam shot a one-under 71 to be 12 strokes behind Ko and tied on 67th, with the 10-time major winner scoring three birdies as she competed on her home course.
World number one Ko, chasing her first US tour win since 2018, had four birdies in seven holes en route to an overall 10-under 134 which put her one stroke ahead of Nelly Corda of the US.