Advertisement
Rory McIlroy watches his drive develop on the fourth hole. AP Photo/Mark Duncan
Green shoots

Rory McIlroy shoots under par for first time in 2 months

The Holywood native is tied for 17th at the WGC Bridgestone. Tiger Woods leads the tournament by seven strokes.

IT HAS BEEN a long, arduous and, at times, a ‘brain dead’ road for Rory McIlroy over the past two months but signs of recovery are emanating from Akron, Ohio.

The Northern Irish golfer shot his first under par round of golf since early June as he signed off for a 69 on day three of the World Golf Championship Bridgestone. The round contained four birdies and three bogeys and put McIlroy in a tie for 17th with Phil Mickelson and nine others.

His day could have been a whole lot better were it not for costly dropped shots on 17 and 18.

The last time McIlroy went under par was at The Memorial when, in his second round, he posted a -3 score of 69. He has completed 13 rounds since, including forgettable scores of 79, 76 and three 75′s. Speaking after he missed the cut at the The Open, McIlroy confessed that he felt as if he was brain dead during some of his rounds.

The USPGA is next weekend and, while a tournament win looks unlikely, the 24-year-old will hope for further signs of improvement.

As for the WGC Bridgestone itself, Tiger Woods looks set to romp home with another big win, consolidating his position as world number one, and a cheque for $1.4m. The American followed up his stunning 61 on Friday with a -2 round of 68.

Tiger Woods is a happy man after chipping in for birdie on the 13th. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Woods is seven strokes clear of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, with Jason Dufner a further shot back. The world’s top golfer will hope that he has not peaked a week too soon but he is determined to keep his foot to the floor during his final round.

“I birdied the first two right out of the gate,” he said, “and I figured if I could somehow just keep the card clean and not make any bogeys and maybe throw a couple more in there, it would be a pretty good day. All in all, 2‑under par is not too bad.”

The plan, he added, is to just go out there and execute his game plan. “Whatever game plan I’m going to implement, just go execute it. It all starts with what the weather is doing, and then I build it from there, and we’ll see what I do.”

Tiger Woods not too fussed after shooting outrageous 61

McIlroy trying to find form with a little help from his friends

Your Voice
Readers Comments
3
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.