Rory McIlroy shot a 69 on moving day to set up a good start to the final day of the 2024 U.S. Open. Aside from a bogey on the sixth hole, the Northern Irish player had a better run until the 14th hole thanks to four birdies in the third round. However, McIlroy dropped two shots in the final four holes and finished one under, tied for second with Matthew Pavin and Patrick Cantlay. After scores of 65-72-69, McIlroy was three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau on the final day.
2024 US Open – McIlroy: “Saturday at the US Open is going to be really tough”
Q: Rory McIlroy, 1-under 69. What was the biggest takeaway from the day?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was a really tough U.S. Open on Saturday. I think it went about as we expected. The course was getting tougher and tougher. Some of the pin locations were really tricky. It felt like a lot of the pins were cut on the little crown. There were a lot of uphill putts that turned downhill after the hole, so it was hard to get the rhythm. It caught me off guard a few times. I like the test of the Pinewood course, you have to concentrate and focus on every shot. That's how the U.S. Open should be. It's definitely great to be in the final.
Q: How closely have you been following the leaderboard over the last five minutes?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was very close. I was there doing an interview with NBC, and during the interview, they were showing Bryson on 16, so I know what happened there. The last few holes were very, very difficult to play. Even 17, it was downwind, but it was hard to get close because the flagstick in front was cut off, even 18, the position of that hole. No matter what happens, I feel like two shots, three shots, four shots, I have a good chance to win tomorrow.
Q: You talked this week about embracing the difficulty of this golf course. Has that been tested? Are the results encouraging?
RORY McILROY: I think I'm embracing the questions that the golf course throws at you. I think there are some holes where you have to attack. There are some holes where you have to be conservative. There are some holes where you can attack but get close. There are some holes where you have to stay away. It tests your chipping skills. It tests your putting skills. It tests your mental endurance more than any other golf tournament, obviously. As I said at the beginning of the week, this is a style of golf that I've started to try and embrace over the last few years, and it's the reason why my performance in the U.S. Open has improved dramatically over the last five years.
Q: Are you trying to get into the final group with Bryson? Is that important right now? Overall, you have a chance to get your fifth major tomorrow anyway, how do you feel about that?
RORY McILROY: Yes, I'm excited. It would be nice to be able to hole out the putt on the last hole to get to 5 under and break the 4-under tie. There are pros and cons. There are pros and cons to being in the last group, and maybe being in the lead isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm pretty much in the same position I was last year going into the last day at Asia Golf Club in Los Angeles. I'm in a familiar position, having been here many times before, and hopefully I can play better golf tomorrow.
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