Rory McIlroy shoots third 67 in a row, trails by one in Turkey
Consistency has paid off for Rory McIlroy this week in Turkey.
For the third consecutive day at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal, the world No. 3 shot 5-under 67 in the Turkish Airlines Open. That 15-under total is good enough for a share of second place through three rounds, a shot back of Jaco Van Zyl, who has led wire-to-wire, and 2013 tournament winner Victor Dubuisson
After getting through the first two rounds without a bogey, McIlroy faced a more tumultuous path to 67. The Ulsterman had a bogey on the par-4 third hole, coming back with birdies in two of the next three holes. He dropped back to even par on the day with a bogey on the 10th. Once again, McIlroy answered on the next hole with a birdie.
However, McIlroy sparked the finale of his round with an aggressive approach to handful of feet for eagle at the par-5 13th. He then made two birdies in the final five holes, including at the par-5 finishers to share second place with Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who shot 66.
McIlroy was happy to rally to the finish after a sluggish start.
“I got off to a bit of a slow start, I don’t know why, I just felt very lethargic out there today, I couldn’t really get any energy,” he said. “To finish the way I did was very pleasing and I’d say this was the best of them just because I didn’t get off to a great start and I needed to dig in deep and finish the round off well, which I did.”
Dubuisson closed well, too, making four birdies in his final six holes to take a share of the lead from Van Zyl, who opened with 61 on Thursday and has held on since.
While three 67s have McIlroy in position for a fourth worldwide win in 2015, he believes there’s a better score in store for him on Sunday.
“I feel if I play the same way and execute a little bit better,” he said, “there’s definitely a lower score out there for me.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
