McIlroy sets sights on Open ‘holy grail’
Rory McIlroy has complete faith in his ability to end an eight-year major drought by winning the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Five days after describing winning the Open on the Old Course as golf’s ‘Holy Grail’, McIlroy will take a share of the lead into the final round with Norwegian playing partner Viktor Hovland following a six-under-par 66.
McIlroy boosted his bid to become the first European winner at St Andrews since Nick Faldo in 1990 with five birdies and an eagle from a bunker on the 10th.
Only a bogey on the famous ‘Road Hole’ 17th prevented the Northern Irishman from holding the outright lead as Hovland, chasing his first major title, also posted a 66 to join him on 16-under.
‘‘We fed off each other really well,’’ said McIlroy. ‘‘We both put ourselves into a great position going into tomorrow.’’
Australia’s Cameron Smith
had been in pole position at halfway after posting a record tworound total of 13-under but the world No 6 three-putted the opening hole and made a double bogey on the 13th to slip off the pace.
Smith and American Cameron Young will start the final round on 12-under, four shots behind, after rounds of 73 and 71 respectively, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim a stroke further back.
Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson is six shots back following a 71, with Tommy Fleetwood and US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick on nine-under, alongside Australia’s Adam Scott.
McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug in 2014 and claimed his fourth major in the US PGA a month later, but has not won one of the game’s biggest titles since.
The world No 2 is well aware of the significance of winning the oldest major title at the home of golf.
‘‘It’s the Holy Grail of our sport,’’ McIlroy said in his pretournament press conference.
Asked about the significance of winning today (NZT), he added: ‘‘It would mean everything because of what I have been through the last few years, trying to get the fifth one.’’
Even an error-free front nine of 33 had McIlroy a shot behind an inspired Hovland, who had birdied four holes in a row from the third to take over from Smith at the top of the leaderboard.
However, McIlroy then holed out from a bunker short of the 10th green for a stunning eagle to vault into the lead, before Hovland commendably held his nerve to birdie the same hole.
McIlroy found the green in two on the 614-yard 14th to set up another birdie and move into the outright lead, only to then fire his approach to the daunting 17th over the green and off the wall.
The resulting bogey dropped McIlroy back alongside Hovland, who brilliantly saved par from just over the green, with both players then making a birdie on the last.