With the conclusion of the 2023 US Open third round, Rory McIlroy is now just one stroke behind the leaders, Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler. The Northern Irish golfer played a round of 69, to settle for the third place.
He carded three birdies and two bogeys on Saturday, June 17, to wrap up with a score of one-under-par 69.
A Twitter account called Rory McIlroy Tracker shared a video of the former world No. 1 golfer arriving at the Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) for the third round, with a caption saying:
"Rory has arrived at LACC for moving day at the #USOpen"
Fans flocked into the comments section to talk about his tanned skin. One user wrote:
"That farmer's tan"
Here are some more reactions from the fans.
It is pertinent to note that Rickie Fowler has maintained the lead at the 2023 US Open in the last three rounds. He topped the leaderboard with Xander Schauffele on the opening day.
While Schauffele slipped from the top position, Fowler maintained the solo lead in the second round, and then again shared the lead with Wyndham Clark following Saturday's round.
"Excited for the opportunity that lies ahead" - Rory McIlroy is excited for US Open final round
Rory McIlroy is excited for the final round of the 2023 US Open. He is one of the top favorites to win the event this week.
After Saturday's round, the current World No. 3 shared his thoughts with RTE Radio's Greg Allen on the chance to win yet another major tournament. He said:
“I'm excited. You know, it's another chance to try to do something really special in my career. And yeah, I mean, this is what we practice for. And this is what we put the long, long hours in for.
"Not necessarily to win these championships, but it's more to just see what you're made of and see if you can do it and see if you've got whatever it is that you need inside of you to get the job done. So, you know I'm relishing the opportunity tomorrow and you know, I'm excited for the opportunity that lies ahead.”
McIlroy also spoke about his third-round performance, saying:
“I was really pleased with how I played the back nine today. I put the ball in position for the most part off the tee. And you know, that's the nine holes I had struggled with the last couple of days. So to play the back nine the way I did, especially those last few holes and hit fairways and hit greens and give myself birdie putts, that was really nice to see."
The final round of the US Open will start on Sunday, June 18. Rory McIlroy will pair up with current World No.1 Scottie Scheffler to start the game at 5:19 pm ET.