"Excited to have a good opportunity tomorrow": Rory McIlroy reflects on a superb day in the Irish Open

Rory McIlroy has climbed up the leaderboard of the 2023 Irish Open at the K Club. After two decent rounds of 3 under 69 and 2 under 70, he shot a staggering third round of 6 under 66 to jump to the solo third spot.

After completing his round, the Northern Irishman spoke about what was on his mind before the round. He reflected on his sensational round and shared that he was excited for the final day of the event.

"It's really exciting. You know, I... last night I thought maybe a little bit too far behind. And the end of it, you know, I played a really good round of golf today to get myself back in it. And yeah, Excited to have a good opportunity tomorrow," McIlroy said.

Rory McIlroy is just two strokes behind the leader Hurly Long and one stroke behind the second-ranked Jordan Smith.

The top three ranked golfers are paired together and will tee off at 12:30 pm BST.

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"They've always been there" - Rory McIlroy speaks on the absence of LIV golfers in the upcoming 2023 Ryder Cup

Although the Northern Irishman is currently playing at the Irish Open and will next be seen in the BMW PGA Championship, his golf schedule doesn't end there. He will be traveling to Rome in late September for the 44th edition of the prestigious biennial event.

LIV golfers not being a part of Team Europe for the Ryder Cup should come as no surprise. However, Rory McIlroy, who has participated in the previous six Ryder Cups, shared that it was weird not to see any of the stalwarts like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Graeme McDowell on the team. He was quoted by Golf Digest as saying,

"I was speaking to [wife] Erica the other night, and it's going to be weird for me not to have those guys in the team room because this is my seventh Ryder Cup and they've always been there."

But Rory McIlroy is still all about business. He added that he still hopes to be in the European team locker room a few more times. Hoping to bond with younger players like Nicolai Hojgard and Ludvig Aberg, he added:

"It's time to form new bonds with other guys. Hopefully, I still have a few Ryder Cups left in me, so I'll try to form some bonds with the younger guys, like Nicolai and Ludwig, as well as guys who are going to be there a long time like Viktor and Jon," Rory McIlroy said.

Although there might be no LIV golfers for the European side, there are still many players who have featured in the event previously. As for Rory McIlroy, he will be joined by his longtime close friend Shane Lowry in the Luke Donald led Ryder Cup team at the Marco Simone Golf Club.