Irish Open 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

A major storm forced play to be suspended on multiple occasions in the third round of the 2016 Irish Open on Saturday, but Rory McIlroy still leads Danny Willett, Russell Knox and Richard Sterne after a rain-soaked moving day at the K Club.  

McIlroy and Willett both made it to the 15th hole before officials called the round because of the fading light and pouring rain. The host was shooting two under at the time, increasing his lead on the leaderboard to three shots.

Meanwhile, the day was a disaster for Marc Warren, who began one shot ahead of McIlroy, but tumbled down the leaderboard after hitting six bogeys.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like, per the European Tour official Twitter:

Recap

The rain was heavy but inconsistent early on in Kildare, and before play was halted, McIlroy was shooting an impressive round. He started his day with a powerful drive, per the European Tour's official Twitter:

He made steady progress over the first three holes, with McIlroy hitting a hat-trick of pars. But he saved the spectacular stuff for the par-five fourth.

McIlroy hit a birdie after another powerful drive got him started, before he completed the hole with some smartly selected shots with a stroke to spare. Here's the putt:

The threat of lightning halted play during the afternoon, and McIlroy was able to play a few more holes, continuing his flawless round until play was once again suspended in the early evening. Players were asked to complete their rounds after an hour, but fading light and more rain meant the Northern Irishman got to play just one more hole.

While McIlroy had a good outing, Willett's day was anything but. He shot three bogeys, at the second, sixth and seventh holes, and sat at two over par on the day before the first break. Willett was probably one of the few players who actually welcomed the rain-enforced stoppage.

His brother PJ Willett encouraged the 28-year-old, urging him to do better when play resumed:

It seemed to work, as Willett made par the rest of the way.

Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello was one player who started brightly but limped to the finish. Five birdies were ensuring swift progress for Cabrera-Bello after his early tee time.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

But a double bogey on the par-four 17 marred his day. In fairness, the conditions were starting to play a major part, but Cabrera-Bello dealt with them worse than the rest of the field, shooting another bogey on his final hole.

He now sits six shots behind McIlroy, and his bid to win this year's Irish Open seems over.

By contrast, Willett made the most of the break to reassess his game and found a way to avoid the mistakes that plagued him during the early afternoon. McIlroy is playing some superb golf, but the gap between the two is just three shots.

Knox was able to finish his round, shooting two under to move within a single shot of Willett. He's tied with Sterne, who sits one under after 15 holes.