Despite all of his successes, Rory McIlroy is yet to claim a Scottish Open title. On Saturday, following a three-under round of 67, that could all change, with the Northern Irishman one shot ahead of Tom Kim at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Carding five birdies and two bogeys, McIlroy looked calm and measured at The Renaissance Club as he tackled the North Berwick layout. Come Sunday though, there are a number of huge names in pursuit of the 34-year-old, including Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler and Shane Lowry.
Beginning the third day, McIlroy led Kim and European Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton by one, with conditions certainly scoreable and more friendly than some players finished in on Friday night.
Out of the blocks, it was Fleetwood who made the early charge, with the in-form Englishman carding a superb round of 63 (-7). Along with Fleetwood, Eric Cole fired a 64 to sit three back, with former Champion Golfer of the Year, Lowry, also finding a five-under 65 to sit in the logjam at 10-under.
Saturday was about McIlroy though and, through 10 holes, he was four-under and two shots clear of nearest challenger, Kim. However, a bogey at the 12th for McIlroy did cut the margin back down to one, with a birdie at the 14th and a bogey at the 15th meaning a one-over score over the final seven holes.
Kim and McIlroy shake hands on the 18th following the third round
With the weather set to be... interesting tomorrow, McIlroy is looking for a second DP World Tour title of 2023 following his Hero Dubai Desert Classic victory in January. "It was another really good round of golf," stated the four-time Major winner. "Very solid. I feel like I've left a few out there over the last couple of days, but at the same time, at least the last few holes, it was quite tricky conditions.
"I played well. It's been a good three days and looking forward to obviously being in the final group tomorrow and seeing how my game holds up under that sort of pressure."
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