Rory McIlroy has won 17 DP World Tour titles. He is 18 holes away from winning another.
McIlroy tied for the low score of the day with a 2-under 69 at the 2024 Amgen Irish Open at Royal County in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, on Saturday.
McIlroy opened with an eagle 3 on the par-5s for the second straight day on Saturday. He then bogeyed the fifth hole — his third straight day with a bogey on the hole — and birdied the seventh. He birdied the 13th before making four straight pars. The final hole, the par-5 18th, was an interesting end to his day. He missed the right side of the fairway, then hit his second shot to the left and his third shot to the right again. His fourth shot was just four feet from the fairway, but then he missed his par putt.
Still, he will hold a one-shot lead heading into the final round. McIlroy is seeking a second Irish Open title in his home country of Northern Ireland, competing for the first time since the Tour Championship and drawing huge crowds to golf courses in his native Northern Ireland.
“It was awesome,” he said after his second round on Friday. “I think the crowd was probably a little bigger today than it was yesterday, which was awesome. It was fun to play in this atmosphere.”
Second-round leader Matteo Manassero shot 66 this week but finished Saturday with a 1-over 72 to finish alone in second place.
Robert MacIntyre and Jordan Smith both finished at 2-under 69 to join four golfers tied for third at 3-under, three shots behind. They joined Adrian Otaegui as the only two golfers besides McIlroy to break 70 on Saturday.
Shane Lowry said Friday he expected to play alongside McIlroy in the final round on Sunday, but he shot a 3-over 74 in the third round and is tied for 30th.
This article was originally published in Golfweek: Rory McIlroy, seeking 18th DP World Tour victory, leads with 18 holes to go at Amgen Irish Open