The 18th hole at Royal County Down usually offers one last birdie chance, a chance to make up for a difficult round faced just before. But on Saturday, 25 mph winds blew in off the Mourne Mountains, meaning this final par-5 was played against the wind and players had to work hard to close out the day's play.
That's exactly what happened to Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed the 18th hole after hitting a near-shank. After a missed tee shot, McIlroy missed the fairway on a layup and his second shot went downhill. His third shot went off the toe of his wedge and he missed an up-and-down attempt from 47 yards short of the green for a sixth. But the Ulster native still managed to finish well enough to card a two-under 69 on Saturday. He leads Matteo Manassero by one stroke after 54 holes in the Amgen Irish Open.
“I definitely would have had my score before I went out today,” McIlroy said.
“It's a perfect start. [the par-5 1st]… And then I just tried to get par on as many holes as I could, and if I got a birdie here and there, that was a bonus.”
McIlroy took advantage of the wind to make an eagle on the opening hole at Royal County Down for the second consecutive day, which has left him 5 under par on the hole this week and is a key reason why he leads the tournament.
From there, his round began to stabilize, but that's mainly due to the difficulty of this golf course. It's difficult even without a steady wind, but when the wind starts to pick up, Royal County Down becomes next to impossible. Of the 68 players who made the cut on Saturday, only eight shot under par, which is telling. No one shot worse than two-under 69. After 54 holes, only 12 players are under par in the championship.
McIlroy's partner, Todd Clements, had led after shooting a brilliant 66 on the first day, which he called “the best round of my life.” But Saturday's round was a disaster, as the Englishman finished with a 14-over 85 and dropped to 62nd on the leaderboard, 17 strokes behind McIlroy.
“I think I could shoot 60 today in these conditions and it was obviously a really good effort,” McIlroy added.
“The conditions were pretty tough. I think I did well. I started really well and then I just hung in there and got as many pars as I could and got a few birdies here and there, which was a bonus. Overall, it was another very consistent, solid day and I think I have a good chance tomorrow.”
After an eagle on the first hole, McIlroy managed just two birdies on the remaining holes, with his first par-breaker coming on the par-3 seventh hole thanks to a great approach. He made an extraordinary three strokes on the par-4 13th hole. After finding native territory with his tee shot, McIlroy drilled a 32-foot putt to move to seven under for the tournament, but a bogey on the 18th dropped him back to six under.
Still, he has a great chance to win a second Irish Open title, which would mean a lot to him.
“It's great, I'm excited to give myself an opportunity,” McIlroy said.
“The last few times I've played in Northern Ireland it hasn't really gone my way, so to play well here for three days, be in the final group and get my chance on Sunday. So yeah I'm excited about the opportunity and I can't get too ahead of myself but yeah I'm excited to go out there and give it my all tomorrow” [onSunday;yeahI’mexcitedabouttheopportunityandIcan’tgettoofaraheadofmyselfbutyeahI’mexcitedtogooutthereandgiveitmyalltomorrow”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
