Phenom Rory McIlroy issues major PGA Championship warning ahead of Australia Day
Rory McIlroy shot a 4-under 67 at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow to move within striking distance of leader Xander Schauffele heading into Sunday’s final round.
Schauffele, who held a four-stroke lead heading into Saturday’s round, shot a 1-under 70 to finish at 12-under 54.
Meanwhile, Jason Day, who started the day tied for second with McIlroy, had a tough round but finished with a respectable 2-over 73 thanks to a string of birdies late in the round. After bogeys on the first two holes, the Australian dropped three more shots on hole 13 to find himself five points behind at that point. But three birdies on his next four holes dropped him to fifth on the leaderboard heading into the final round at five under overall, seven shots off the pace. A week that began with more talk about McIlroy’s role in trying to bridge the gap between golf and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, with confusion over a potential return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, will end with the world number two fighting for his second place. name of the season.
It will also be his fourth win on the course in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he earned his first PGA Tour victory back in 2010. Xander Schauffele shakes hands with Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland after completing the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 11, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Xander Schauffele shakes hands with Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland after completing the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 11, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Andrew
McIlroy’s decision to compete two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event was seen by some as simply a gesture of commitment to the PGA Tour from a player who has positioned himself as one of its biggest defenders.
But McIlroy insisted that the tournament, which he won with Shane Lowry, would help him find form after his disappointing showing at the Masters and his performance in North Carolina has, so far, entirely justified that decision. The Northern Irishman was the only player to avoid a bogey in Saturday’s third round, performing at his best with driver in hand.
McIlroy led the way in tee shots and driving distance this week, and his first birdie came on the par-four fifth when he hit a shot 341 yards from the fairway and landed within four feet of the hole. He birdied again on the par-4 ninth, sinking a 10-foot putt with a 180-yard iron shot, but played a flawless game on the par-5 10th. His final birdie came on the par-4 14th, and after his round, McIlroy was quick to credit his outstanding driving to his experience in Louisiana last month, rather than his sessions with veteran coach Butch Harmon. “I would say this is a direct result of some of the emotions I had a few weeks ago in New Orleans. A lot of what Butch and I had been working on was more like playing with irons and wedges,” he declared. “Driving, more simply, is the fact that you’re focused on hitting that little shot that you hit off the tee most of the time and you have the freedom to do that. Every time you hit a good tee shot, your confidence grows and you want to keep hitting more,” he added.
Schauffele causes a sensation with questionable fall | 02:32
The American made a birdie on the par-5 seventh, then bogeyed the par-4 12th, missed an 11-foot putt for par, then birdied the 14th to finish one under. Schauffele, who finished his opening round with rounds of 64 and 67, was disappointed with his performance on Saturday.
“It wasn’t very pretty,” he said. Unfortunately, some sleepy corners, very up and down, a kind of mixture bag. He was definitely complicated for me -it was like a good place on a fairway, “he said.
South Korea’s Im Sung-jae is four shots off the lead after his 69 which ended with contrasting fortune on the final two holes.
Im struck the flag on the par-3 17th, with the ball rolling off the green but he scrambled to make par. Then he emerged from the sand to save par on the 18th.
Austrian Sepp Straka made another comeback after a round of 16 that included three bogeys.