It’s Mac the Knife
Rory cuts himself clear of the field at Hoylake
RORY McILROY is threatening to turn The Open into a one- man procession.
He fired a third successive round in the 60s at Royal Liverpool, including two eagles, to open up a sixshot lead over the field.
McIlroy seems to have it all under control – his own game, the tournament and even the weather!
The predicted thunderstorms that forced the R&A to switch to a historic two- tee start even stayed away long enough for McIlroy to complete his round.
He tees off today 18 holes away from adding the Claret Jug to the US Open and the US PGA he won in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
“Not many people have achieved the career Grand Slam,” he said.
“If everything goes right in the final round, to be three- quarters of the way to doing by the age of 25 would be some achievement.
“I never thought I would be in this position.” His dad, Gerry, would certainly agree. He stands to make £ 50,000 from a bet struck 10 years ago at 500/ 1 that his son would win The Open before he was 26.
Three pals also weighed in at the same odds, so Irish eyes may very well be smiling tonight.
RORY McILROY took an iron grip on The Open Championship yesterday after another day of mastery around Royal Liverpool.
He posted a beautiful round of 68 to follow successive 66s as he opened up a six- shot lead over Rickie Fowler in second place.
It’s the biggest 54- hole lead at The Open since 2000 when Tiger Woods went on to win by eight at St Andrews, establishing a record 19-under winning score.
And there is no doubt that McIlroy has displayedWoods-esque form over the first three rounds.
He now has a fantastic chance to add The Open to his US Open and US PGA titles, which were both won by eight shots.
But he refuses to believe that he has one hand on the Claret Jug, as he tees off this afternoon.
“I’ve won from seven back this year at Wentworth, so I know how quickly leads can go,” he said.
“So, I’m not taking anything for granted. If the guys ahead of me had finished a little better, my lead would not have been as big.
“I’ve been on the right side of this and the wrong side. You can’t let yourself think about winning. You have to stay completely in the moment.
“When you have such a big lead, you can’t think about anyone else but yourself. You have to think about how to control your emotions.”
McIlroy had begun the day with a four-stroke advantage, although half of that went on the first hole as he dropped one and playing partner Dustin Johnson birdied.
And Rory needed to hole a clutch putt on the second to prevent another bogey.
Two fine shots got McIlroy on the par-5 fifth from where he made a comforting first birdie of the day before he reeled off a succession of pars.
None was more important than the ninth, where he produced a brilliant up-and-down after his tee shot had come to rest next to a TV vehicle.
But after 12 holes, the challenge had been laid down by Fowler. The Californian had fired in seven birdies in that time to draw level thanks to a succession of wonderful shots.
But while he faltered with three bogeys in four holes, McIlroy found another gear.
He struck a hammer blow on the 16th as he brilliantly rolled in a 20- foot putt for a fantastic eagle three.
Then to cap it off, a majestic fiveiron into the final green set up another eagle chance which he converted for a grandstand finish.
Fowler also produced a magnificent bunker shot on the last to seal a closing birdie as he signed for a rollercoaster 68.
And despite the six-shot deficit, he’s looking forward to the final round with his fellow Florida resident.
“If I’m able to get off to a good start, maybe I can put a little bit of pressure on Rory,” he said. “We’re good buddies but at the same time, we want to beat each other up.
“We’ll have fun throwing shots back and forth.”
Johnson ended the day seven shots adrift of McIlroy alongside Sergio Garcia, with the Spaniard shooting a third sub-par round.
Garcia has played some fine golf at Hoylake, but he, like the other contenders, is reliant on a magic round or a big collapse from McIlroy to have any chance of breaking his Major duck.