McIlroy Hopes First Father's Day As A Dad Bring A Major Win
Faizan Hashmi Published June 20, 2021 | 09:00 AM
La Jolla, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jun, 2021 ) :Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy snapped an 18-month win drought on Mother's Day and put himself in position Saturday to snap a seven-year major win drought on Father's Day.
The 32-year-old from Northern Ireland fired a four-under par 67 to leap into contention at the US Open, standing on three-under 210 after 54 holes at Torrey Pines.
"It's one of the best rounds of golf I've played in a while," McIlroy said.
McIlroy won last month at Quail Hollow on Mother's Day for his first victory since November 2019 at Singapore.
Now McIlroy could celebrate his first Father's Day since the birth last August of his first child, daughter Poppy, by winning his first major since the 2014 PGA Championship.
"Mother's Day was pretty good to us a few weeks ago," McIlroy said. "So hopefully we can have the same result on Father's Day." Exactly 10 years after McIlroy won his first major title at the US Open at Congressional, he delivered an impressive round to give himself a chance.
"It's definitely the best I've played this week," McIlroy said. "I felt like I played well on Thursday and 70 felt like the worst I could have shot. A little scrappy yesterday, but then today I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of birdie chances.
"Didn't actually make that many, but I just stayed really patient knowing that, if you're not making bogeys out there, you're not losing ground." McIlroy birdied three of the first four holes on the back nine, including a spectacular 32-yard chip-in birdie from the rough at the 12th.
"Really fortunate birdie on 12 with a chip-in." He found an oceanside canyon left off the tee at the 15th but salvaged bogey then rescued par from a bunker at the par-3 16th and with a seven-foot putt at 17 ahead of a closing tap-in birdie.
"Huge to keep momentum," McIlroy said. "This is the only tournament in the world where you fist pump a bogey.
"Only losing one (at 15) was a big deal, and getting it up-and-down out of the bunker on 16 and making that birdie on 18 just to get that shot back that I lost -- really big." McIlroy did better than he expected he would need to score to have a chance at the trophy on Sunday.
"I thought two 68s over the weekend from where I was after Friday was going to have a good chance," he said.
"I've done the first part of that job. Now it's up to me tomorrow to go out and try to play a similar round." McIlroy struggled to recall the last time he felt truly in contention in the final round at a major tournament.
"I'm trying to think of the last time where I really felt like I had a chance," he said.
"Carnoustie in '18 felt like I maybe had half a chance, going into the final day at Pebble in 2019, but apart from that, there have been some good finishes but never felt like I was in the thick of things.
"I'm just excited for the opportunity to have a chance and be in one of the final groups."
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