Rory McIlroy rallies to joint second at BMW Championship
Rory McIlroy is joint second at 12 under after shooting a five-under 65 in round three of the BMW Championship, five strokes behind Wyndham Clark at 17 under. McIlroy birdied four of his last six holes to vault into the final pairing at Bellerive Country Club despite not finding a fairway until the 10th hole.
Key Takeaways
- Wyndham Clark leads at 17 under after matching McIlroy with a 65 on Saturday at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis.
- Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay share second at 12 under, five shots off the pace heading into the final round.
- McIlroy rallied from a shaky driver day with four late birdies and ranks sixth in strokes gained tee-to-green and putting.
- A Monday session with coach Michael Bannon and custom angled grips helped McIlroy rebound after finishing 66th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
- McIlroy said catching Clark would require a heroic effort, though he has a history of rapid turnarounds on the PGA Tour.
Who leads the BMW Championship after round three?
Wyndham Clark holds a five-shot lead at 17 under after carding a five-under 65 in the third round. The American double-bogeyed the opening hole but recovered with an eagle on the eighth and four birdies in five holes on the back nine before a closing bogey.
Clark has shown he can protect a lead under pressure, converting a six-shot advantage at the U.S. Open and holding off McIlroy in the final pairing at the 2023 U.S. Open.
How did Rory McIlroy climb into the final pairing?
McIlroy's third-round 65 followed opening scores of 64 and 69, lifting him into a tie for second with Patrick Cantlay at 12 under. Chris Gotterup and Gary Woodland sit at 11 under, with Collin Morikawa on 10 under.
McIlroy did not hit his first fairway until the 10th hole, leaning on short-game saves to stay level through that stretch. He then fired four under on the back nine, including birdies on four of his last six holes and a 26-foot birdie putt on the 16th.
The turnaround follows a difficult week in Memphis, where McIlroy finished 66th out of 68 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He flew home to Florida on Monday to work with coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond, logging 313 practice balls across two days at Bellerive.
What swing fix is helping McIlroy hit better shots?
McIlroy said bad habits had crept into his swing during tournament play this year. To rebuild feel, he fitted a lob wedge and a 7-iron with Flat Cat putter grips set at a 45-degree angle so his right hand sits on the flat portion halfway back.
"It just helps my right arm work better," McIlroy said Friday, adding that the structure lets him hit whatever shot he wants. He also used a head-cover drill under his right arm and a new pre-shot rehearsal discovered with Bannon.
McIlroy said he feels the swing syncs better when he hits a cut off the tee. For readers tracking sports economics and market-moving events, more coverage lives in our Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub.
Can Rory McIlroy catch Wyndham Clark on Sunday?
McIlroy was blunt about the task ahead. "I'm in a good spot going into tomorrow in terms of where I'm at on the leaderboard, but it's going to take a heroic effort from one of us to catch Wyndham," he said after round three, as reported by the BBC.
History suggests writing him off would be unwise. McIlroy bounced from a poor FedEx St. Jude showing to contend at this same event in 2024, and he found his driver feel on the range during this year's Masters third round before winning his second green jacket the next day. Five strokes remains a steep hill on a course where rough punishes missed fairways.