The Open: For the first time since the last round of The Open, when McIlroy was forced to witness Cameron Smith lift the claret jug after he could only muster a final-round 2-under 70 at the renowned links course, Rory McIlroy teed off at St. Andrews on Saturday.
The world No. 2 performed slightly better in the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour, carding a third-round 66 after McIlroy had a 3-over 75 at Kingsbarns on Friday morning due to bad weather.
After spinning his approach shot back into the burn short of the green on the first hole at the Old Course, McIlroy bogeyed it, but he wouldn’t add another square to his scorecard the rest of the day. The Northern Irishman entered the top 10 with a final birdie at the short par-4 18th after making seven birdies in the previous round.
“It was great. You know, obviously yesterday there was a lot of rain and that made the course softer, “added McIlroy. “The ball, therefore, fell fairly softly wherever it did despite the fact that it was quite windy outside. The rough isn’t up, but it’s been laid up rather generously evidently for beginners, making it highly scoreable today. There are many possibilities.”
Before a 54-hole cut, players in this special event alternate between the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns. The Old Course is the site of the championship round.
Tomorrow’s outcome largely hinges on Richard Mansell, a single person.
The four-time major champion is only four shots behind Ryan Fox, Alex Noren, and Daniel Gavins, who are all tied for second place and behind Mansell by eight shots going into the final round.
A four-shot deficit to the rest of the field would become manageable if Mansell made a mistake. After all, Smith overcame that gap against McIlroy at the same course in the summer.
However, this week in Scotland, it’s not only about winning medals. The Dunhill Links is a pro-am competition, and this week, Rory McIlroy and his father Gerry are touring some of the world’s top golf courses.
For golf championship, golf live score, golf tournament, golf club, golf match today and other golf news follow livematchupdatesnews.com.
