Rory McIlroy has extended his lead at the British Open to 6 shots after three rounds. The two time major winner finished the day with 68, moving to 16 under for the tournament with just 18 holes to go. What was more impressive than the numbers on the card, however, was that the manner in which he did it seemed both cruel to his nearest challengers, and indicative of significant mental resilience in the face of quickly mounting pressure. Looking back at the scoreboard, it appears as if McIlroy was toying with the opposition, allowing them inch alongside him around the course, before hitting the afterburner on the home stretch with a spectacular result from his closing sprint.
The Northern Irishman was under intense pressure today as Rickie Fowler put together a scintillating opening 12 holes, scoring 6 under to move level with McIlroy at the top of the leader board.
Having gone through the opening 13 holes at level par, McIlroy looked vulnerable to the pressure Fowler was compounding with each hole. However McIlroy’s finish showed reserves of exceptional mettle as he closed out the round with a score of four under on the final 5 holes. The late surge was highlighted with eagles on two of his last three holes, including an eagle at the 18th. Meanwhile, Fowler’s early accuracy dried up as he tallied up three bogeys between the 14th and 17th holes. A birdie at the last stopped the rot, but the American will know he will likely need a massive collapse from McIlroy to stand a chance of a win.
Sergio Garcia is one shot further back on 9 under, level with American Dustin Johnson.
Daren Clarke and Graeme McDowell are tied for 12th on 5 under. Shane Lowry is a couple of shots further back, tied for 23rd on 3 under.
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