Rory McIlroy has a 10-year-old monkey on his back, but to shake it off, he will have to overcome a three-shot deficit during the final round of the U.S. Open.
Despite that, McIlroy, who last won a major in 2014, feels confident that he can still find a way to triumph at Pinehurst No. 2.
“I’ve got a great chance going into [Sunday],” McIlroy said after his 1-under 69.
“I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you’ve got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there. It’s what a U.S. Open should be like. It’s obviously great to be in the mix.”
The biggest obstacle in McIlroy’s path is not the challenging test that Pinehurst presents. Instead, it is Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday. DeChambeau, who is 7-under through 54 holes, is the only player to card three straight rounds in the 60s on this par 70 layout. He pulled away from the contenders on the back nine thanks to his remarkable driving prowess, aggressive iron play, and clutch putting.
Yet, even DeChambeau is not immune to Pinehurst’s diabolical ‘Turtleback’ greens. Look no further than the par-4 16th hole, where DeChambeau’s second shot rolled off the front of the green. His third shot then did the same, which led to an unfortunate double-bogey.
After DeChambeau stumbled, he dropped back to 6-under for the championship, a score that McIlroy briefly sat at, too.
But the Northern Irishman made a slew of poor iron shots down the stretch, which led to a pair of bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes—both par-3s.
“The last few holes are playing very, very difficult,” McIlroy explained.
“Even 17, it’s downwind, but with that pin cut at the front, it’s hard to get that ball close, and even on 18 where that [front] hole location is.”
McIlroy had a chance to salvage his bogies with a closing birdie, but his attempt on the last slid past the hole, leaving him at 4-under for the championship. That put him in the penultimate Sunday pairing with Ryder Cup rival Patrick Cantlay.
“I’m excited about it. It would have been nice to hole that putt at the last, get to 5-under, and break out of that logjam at four. Pros and cons. Pros and cons to being in the last group, and maybe playing one group ahead might not necessarily be a bad thing,” McIlroy reasoned.
“I’m pretty much in the same position I was last year going into the final day at [the Los Angeles Country Club]. So familiar position, been here many times before, and hopefully tomorrow I produce the golf that’s needed to go one better.”
One year ago in Los Angeles, McIlroy entered the final round trailing Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler by a stroke at 9-under. Those two comprised the final group, while McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler went off second to last.
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McIlroy got off to a solid start, birdieing the opening par-5. But that marked his last par-breaker of the day. His bogey at the par-5 14th ultimately sealed his fate, which left him short of another major again. He finished one behind of Clark.
Getting off to a strong start is a must for McIlroy this time around, especially since his deficit is two strokes greater than the one he faced a year ago. Pinehurst No. 2 is also a much more challenging course than the Los Angeles Country Club, which yielded a pair of record-breaking 62s last year. No one has come close to that this week.
But McIlroy believes in himself and his game plan. He still feels he can get the job done despite the adversity he faces.
“I think there’s holes where you have to be aggressive. There are holes where you have to be conservative. There are hole locations that you can take on and hit wedges close to. There are hole locations you’ve got to stay away from,” McIlroy explained.
“It tests your chipping. It tests your putting. It obviously tests your mental fortitude more than any other golf tournament. But it’s a style of golf that I’ve started to try and embrace over these last few years, and it’s the reason that my performances at the U.S. Open have been much improved over the last half a decade.”
Nobody can rival McIlroy’s U.S. Open record since 2019, even though he has not emerged victorious. That, of course, will change if DeChambeau wins Sunday, which would mark his second U.S. Open title in four years. But McIlroy feels confident that he can stop him from doing so. Whether he can get the job done is a different story.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.