McIlroy pulls ahead at Congree
RIDGELAND, S.C. — Rory McIlroy had two eagles that made his score look better than it felt Saturday. All that mattered was a one-shot lead at the CJ Cup in South Carolina, putting him in position for his third win of the year.
This one would come with a bonus: A chance to return to No. 1 in the world.
That would be nothing new for McIlroy, who first reached the top of the world ranking more than 10 years ago, though it would be no less special. Having been there eight times before, it’s not a distraction — not with Jon Rahm among those one shot behind.
“Ultimately, I just want to win this golf tournament. If I win the golf tournament, then everything will take care of itself,” McIlroy said after his 4-under 67.
“So for me, tomorrow I need to go out there, set myself a score that I want to shoot, try to do that,” he said. “Focusing on that, hope that that ends up with a couple of things, a trophy and getting back to the top of the world rankings.”
Former University of Arkansas golfer Taylor Moore also shot a 4-under 67 and moved up into a tie for fifth. Moore is at 10-under 203 overall.
Rahm fell five shots behind at one point and rallied to salvage that otherwise felt like a fight against Congaree all day. He wound up with a 70 and was one shot behind, along with Kurt Kitayama (70) and K.H. Lee (66).
The eagles made all the difference, and they were vintage McIlroy. He drilled one drive on the par-5 fourth that left him 6-iron that perfectly caught the slope and rolled to 2 feet. On the par-5 12th, he smashed his drive 376 yards and rolled in a 30-foot putt from off the green on the tightly mown turf.