Rory McIlroy at BMW Championship 2015: Saturday Leaderboard Score and Reaction
Rory McIlroy's ascent up the leaderboard continued Saturday at the BMW Championship as he shot a four-under 67 in the third round to remain in contention at 13 under for the tournament.
When the Northern Irishman entered the clubhouse at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, he was in a tie for third place, six strokes behind leader Jason Day. Here is a closer look at the current leaderboard:
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The four-time major champion made a big move Saturday by firing a six-under 65, and he moved in a positive direction once again in the third round. Here is a rundown of McIlroy's entire scorecard, courtesy of PGATour.com:
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| Round 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 33 |
| Overall | -9 | -9 | -9 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -11 | -11 | -11 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 |
| Round 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 34 |
| Overall | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -12 | -11 | -12 | -13 | -13 |
McIlroy's third round was rock solid, although it didn't quite match the number he put up Friday. Despite shooting a 65 in the second round, the 26-year-old star entered the weekend somewhat disappointed.
According to ESPN.com's Bob Harig, McIlroy felt he could have put himself in an even better position to do damage Saturday by converting some opportunities the previous day:
"I feel like I could have been a lot of shots lower than I was. I hit the ball really well from tee to green. That's been a problem over the past few weeks. It's just been converting the chances I've been giving myself. Just a little disappointing coming off knowing that I could have been at least three or four shots better. But that's just the way the course is. It's soft. You've got guys that are really long and they're going to take advantage of it.
"
McIlroy did take advantage of it to some degree in the third round as he improved his positioning, but perhaps not as much as he would have liked.
As pointed out by Secret Tour Pro on Twitter, Day built such a sizable early lead that it made it difficult for McIlroy and others to close the gap significantly:
Rory played a clean front nine that featured seven pars to go along with a pair of birdies. He birdied the par-four fourth and par-five eighth, which gave him an overall score of 11-under for the tournament as he made the turn.
The ensuing five holes were fairly uneventful as all of them ended with pars. That was the calm before the storm as McIlroy's final four holes provided plenty of fireworks.
He birdied the par-four 15th before losing that stroke with a bogey on the 16th and gaining it back with another birdie one hole later.
McIlroy then added his third birdie in four holes on the par-five 18th to close out his round on a high note.
Although the major championships are done with for 2015, McIlroy entered the BMW Championship with plenty to play for. He is clinging to his No. 1 world ranking and attempting to improve his positioning in the FedExCup playoffs as well.
The 2012 BMW Championship winner is now in a precarious situation involving both as Day will take No. 1 with a win Sunday and move one step closer to taking the FedExCup as well.
According to Harig, falling out of the top spot seemed almost unthinkable prior to Rory's injury:
If that happens, it won't be for a lack of trying on McIlroy's part as he has bounced back well this year since rupturing an ankle ligament in July.
McIlroy is in position to register a strong result with a great shot at second place, but chasing down Day is a tall order that neither he nor any other golfer may be able to live up to.
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