22-year-old Rory McIlroy is 18 holes away from a green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club. McIlroy expertly navigated the course during Saturday’s third round of The Masters to take a commanding lead over the field with a 2-under 70 to get to 12-under for the tournament. It wasn’t flashy or a blistering round, but McIlroy got the job done, holding steady as the rest of the field wobbled as the weekend began.
Masters Leaderboard: Rory McIlroy Steady At Augusta National Golf Club, In Prime Position Ahead Of Final Round
McIlroy struggled at times, and his round could be described as a grinder. A birdie on No. 4 was followed by a bogey on No. 5 as McIlroy made the turn at even par for the day, holding off a hard-charging Jason Day. But on the back nine, McIlroy came to life after a bogey on No. 10 put him at 1-over for the day.
The young Irishman recovered, burying a birdie on No. 13 after reaching the par five in two and using two putts. He followed that up with another birdie on No. 15 after a solid approach to the risky par five left him two easy putts to get to 1-under. And on No. 17, McIlroy turned in the putt of the day, draining a slider from the back of the green in the center of the cup to get to 2-under for the day and to push his lead to four.
McIlroy holds a four shot advantage over K.J. Choi, Angel Cabrera, Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel, who each sit at 8-under. Luke Donald and Adam Scott are at 7-under, with Bo Van Pelt alone in eighth place at 6-under. Tiger Woods is among a group of five at 5-under after struggling all day and finishing with a bogey on the finishing hole.
A full leaderboard can be found here. Check back with this StoryStream for updates. And for more on the PGA Tour, check out SB Nation’s golf blog, Waggle Room. To get a local look at the tournament, head over to SB Nation Atlanta.
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