Rory McIlroy’s push for BMW Championship title
Rory McIlroy has admitted it will require a “heroic effort” to win the BMW Championship despite surging into a share of second place with a superb third round in St Louis, reports BritPanorama.
The Northern Irishman produced a five-under-par 65 at Bellerive Country Club to move to 12 under for the tournament and keep his hopes of victory alive heading into Sunday’s final round.
However, McIlroy faces a formidable task after Wyndham Clark strengthened his grip on the tournament by opening up a five-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard.
Clark also carded a 65 to reach 17 under, leaving McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, who shot 66, as his nearest challengers.
McIlroy had surrendered his first-round lead after a 69 on Friday but responded impressively on Saturday, particularly during a blistering finish. He birdied four of his final six holes to propel himself back into contention despite struggling for accuracy from the tee earlier in his round.
Remarkably, McIlroy failed to find a fairway until the 10th hole but relied on his short game to keep his challenge alive. “I needed to be patient the last three days, because my game has been good in parts, but then it has been a struggle in other ways,” he said.
He added, “Playing this golf course from the rough isn’t fun, but I hung in there, my short game saved me a couple of times and I got some momentum coming in.”
Despite his encouraging finish, McIlroy conceded something extraordinary may now be required to overhaul Clark. “I am in a good spot in terms of where I am at on the leaderboard, but it’s going to take a heroic effort from one of us to catch Wyndham,” he commented.
Clark’s five-shot advantage seemed unlikely after a disastrous opening hole that saw him make double bogey. However, he rebounded strongly, posting two birdies before an eagle at the eighth, sending him through the turn at two under for the day. He then birdied four of his next five holes, only a bogey at the last preventing an even larger lead.
Chris Gotterup and Gary Woodland remain within striking distance on 11 under, while Collin Morikawa sits another shot back on 10 under. South Korea’s Im Sung-Jae is eight shots behind Clark on nine under, showing the level of competition that McIlroy must overcome.
English duo Aaron Rai and Matthew Fitzpatrick are one stroke further back. In contrast, Saturday proved more difficult for Justin Rose, whose 73 dropped him to one under, while Tommy Fleetwood endured a 74 to fall to two over.
As the tournament edges towards its conclusion, all eyes will be on whether McIlroy can summon the form needed to chase down Clark. His journey reflects how finely balanced the quest for victory can be, where every stroke matters amidst fierce competition.
