Rory McIlroy at WGC-Cadillac Championship 2016: Saturday Score and Reaction
World No. 3 Rory McIlroy entered the third round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship just two strokes off the lead at eight under. Following Saturday's play, he's in first place after shooting four under on the day to put him at 12 under overall.
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Score | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Par | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Score | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
McIlroy showed for a second straight day that he could handle the expansive, hazard-spotted course that is Trump National Doral, recording four birdies and no bogeys. He was the only golfer in the field to record a clean round, as he's gone 34 holes without a bogey.
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Like he did Friday, McIlroy started his day off right with a birdie on No. 1, showing off his powerful driving ability. On the par-five opening hole, he launched a 328-yard drive and was on the green by his third shot.
The PGA Tour highlighted his opening drive:
With a birdie on No. 5, McIlroy took the lead from Adam Scott, who lost two strokes early, and stayed there for the rest of the day.
His approach play was strong all day, and his best came on No. 7, a hole he actually parred despite this nice shot, per the PGA Tour:
He was on point again at No. 8, as his third shot on the par five from almost 30 yards out landed within two feet of the pin to set up his easy third birdie of the day.
Two holes later, McIlroy took advantage of another monster par-five hole thanks to a big 322-yard drive. He didn't have an easy birdie putt from 16 feet out, but McIlroy was able to sink it to move to 12 under on the day.
After No. 10, he battled the course but came out clean, overcoming a few shots from the bunker and rough to par his final eight holes.
Confidence has to be high for McIlroy, who is entering the final day of the WGC-Cadillac Championship, having gotten past everything Trump National has thrown at him. With the way he's been playing over the past 36 holes, it would be difficult to choose anyone else in the field who could overtake McIlroy at the top spot of the leaderboard.
Post-Round Reaction
Going bogey-free really meant something to McIlroy, who spoke with the media after his round via ESPN.com's Jason Sobel:
He credited all of his work leading up to the tournament for his great play, via Steve DiMeglio of USA Today Sports:
"I feel like the practice that I've put in over the last few weeks is really starting to pay off. Just look at some of the saves I had out there today and some of the big par putts; those were the things that were missing over the past three or four tournaments. And to be able to correct that and go out and play in a final group on a Saturday in a golf tournament like this on a golf course like this, and play bogey-free, it gives me a lot of confidence.”
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He spoke with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi about his approach for the final round, via ESPN Golf:
If he continues to play at this level of play, there will be no catching McIlroy, regardless of how he plays the course on Sunday.
Stats courtesy of WorldGolfChampionships.com.
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