A pair of late bogeys opened up Bryson DeChambeau’s lead over Rory McIlroy ahead of Sunday
Rory McIlroy is firmly in the race to win the U.S. Open and capture the fifth major title that has so far eluded the Northern Irishman.
McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club back in 2011, navigated the treacherously difficult Pinehurst No. 2 to card a two-under 68. It was one of the better scores on Saturday as conditions, described by Shane Lowry as ‘torture’, kept scores high.
Following a bogey on the par-three sixth, McIlroy rattled off three birdies in his next eight holes before his tee shot at 15 found the bunker. He couldn’t get up and down smoothly, dropping another shot before doing the same on the 17th.
The run took the gloss off an otherwise encouraging performance from McIlroy. Bryson DeChambeau owns the clubhouse lead heading into the final day, with the LIV Golf star looking to win his second major title after enjoying a sensational performance. The American has been in fine form at the majors this year, and agonisingly missed out on the chance to add another title at Valhalla last month when Xander Schauffele held his nerve to snatch victory by a single shot.
The American appeared to injure his right hip only to rattle off successive birdies as he caught fire down the back nine. McIlroy, meanwhile, will fight to the end.
“It was difficult, but overall I felt like I gave a really good account of myself,” McIlroy said following the conclusion of his third round. “I played really well, most of my game was firing… with a couple of loose iron shots towards the end of the round.
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“Overall, I would have taken one-under-par on the first tee today. It’s a grind. The US Open feels like you play two golf tournaments in one week. I’m going to try to recover as good as I can tonight and get ready for one more day of grinding tomorrow.”
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