Rory McIlroy put himself on course for victory on home soil as he takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down.
The world No 3 produced two-under-par 69 in more testing conditions to edge one ahead of halfway leader Matteo Manassero on six under par.
Moving day was largely carried out in reverse gear as only four players broke 70 – with none of them bettering McIlroy’s effort.
Manassero sits second on five under after a 72, with a two-shot gap back to a four-way tie for third featuring Robert MacIntyre and Jordan Smith, who like McIlroy posted scores of 69.
Dane Rasmus Højgaard and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen are also three under for the week after carding matching rounds of 70.
Four-time Major winner McIlroy wasted little time putting himself at the business end of the leaderboard as he eagled the par-five 1st for the second day running after firing a glorious approach from the right rough to five feet.
The 5th hole continued to torment McIlroy as he missed the fairway and green en route to a third successive bogey, but an excellent tee shot to six feet at the short 7th repaired the damage.
There was a chance of the 35-year-old bursting clear when he holed from 32 feet for birdie on the 13th but a wayward drive at the last, where McIlroy also went close to the grandstand with his third, led to a bogey six.
Victory on Sunday would represent McIlroy’s first as a professional on Northern Irish soil and he said: “It would be amazing.
“The last couple of times I’ve played in Northern Ireland it hasn’t really panned out the way I wanted so to play a good three days here and be in the final group and give myself a chance tomorrow, I’m excited for the opportunity.
“After the sort of year that I’ve had and the close misses it wouldn’t make up for all of it, but it would go a long way in putting a nice shine on 2024 for me.
“I can’t get that far ahead of myself, I need to go out and play another very solid round tomorrow to try to get the job done but I’m pleased with how the first three days have gone.
“If you picked up a birdie here and there it was a bonus but I think to shoot in the 60s today in those conditions was a really good effort and it puts me in a great position going into tomorrow.”
Manassero, who completed a remarkable return to the top of the game when he won a fifth DP World Tour title in South Africa earlier this year almost 11 years after capturing his fourth, mixed four bogeys with three birdies but was unable to make the 52-footer on the last that would have sent him into Sunday with a share of the lead.
– Report from DP World Tour website
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
