Irish Open 2024 scores: Rory McIlroy takes 54-hole lead into final round at Royal County Down
After three days of play at Royal County Down, there is only one man who can say he was playing below par when he stepped off the 18th green. That man is Rory McIlroy, who followed rounds of 68-70 to open the 2024 Irish Open with a 2-under 69 on Moving Day to come from two shots behind to lead by one shot heading into Sunday’s deciding round.
The world No. 3 is at 6-under, one shot ahead of Matteo Manassero and three ahead of the rest of the group, which includes Rasmus Højgaard, Erik van Rooyen and Robert MacIntyre, at 3-under. MacIntyre is looking to become the first player to win the Scottish Open and Irish Open in the same year.
“I was definitely going to score before I went out today. Had a perfect start scoring 3 points [No.] 1,” McIlroy said. “And then it’s just a matter of trying to par as many holes as possible, and if you pick up a birdie here and there, that’s a bonus. Yeah, I thought shooting 60 in those conditions today, obviously a really good effort and that puts me in a good position for tomorrow.”
McIlroy jumped into an immediate share of the lead on Saturday when he holed an eagle at the par-5 first for the second day in a row. His 180-yard approach shot found the inside of six feet to move the Northern Irishman to 6 under, level with the Italian, who had slept on the overnight lead.
McIlroy kept that number up as he rounded the corner after trading another bogey on the fifth for a birdie on the par-3 seventh. Three pars set the stage for McIlroy’s greatest escape of the week on the 13th. After missing the fairway off his tee shot, the 35-year-old hit his second shot high into the air and used the course’s contours to land his ball about 30 feet on the green. It was a long-distance connection that marked McIlroy’s final birdie of the afternoon.
With Manassero struggling on the penultimate hole, McIlroy had a chance on the par-5 18th to pull himself further back. Instead, he came back with a sloppy putt into the finisher, and a missed 4-foot par putt cut his lead to just one stroke.
Despite the crash to the finish, McIlroy finds himself in the driver’s seat back home. A 40-time winner worldwide as a professional — in places like the United States, Canada, Scotland, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai — the Hollywood kid is still looking for one in his own backyard.
“It’s been great. I’m excited to give myself a chance,” McIlroy said. “The last couple of times I’ve played in Northern Ireland, things haven’t really gone the way I wanted them to. So to play well over three days here and get into the final group and give myself a chance tomorrow, yeah, I’m excited about the opportunity. And I can’t get too cocky, but yeah, I’m excited to go out there and give it my all tomorrow.”
