Rory McIlroy shot 2-under 68 in the third round of the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship to move two spots up at T6 after playing three rounds. He is aggregated at 9-under, five strokes behind the 54-hole leader, Lucas Glover.
McIlroy, who is using a shorter putter this week, started the third round with a birdie but experienced a mixed front nine with two birdies and two bogeys in the next eight holes. He added another bogey on the tenth hole and remained at even par until the 15th hole, where he then recorded three consecutive birdies.
Speaking at the post-round interview on Saturday, August 12, the World No. 2 golfer had mixed feelings about his third-round performance.
He explained:
"It sort of felt a little bit like one step forward, one step back. Um, especially after those two bogeys on nine and ten, but I felt like I responded well. That chip-in for par on 14 was big for me, and then to birdie the next three holes was huge"
McIlroy ended the day with a bogey, which he felt was a tough drive for him. He continued:
"It's like the driver's too much and the three-wood's not quite enough to cover on the water line on the left. I hit driver and just sort of be a little bit and put myself in trouble there. So, disappointing after the good work that I did on 15, 16, and 17 to get those shots back to give one back at the end."
McIlroy is paired with Patrick Cantlay for the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Cantlay is also tied for sixth after shooting 4-under 66 in the third round. The pair will tee off from the first hole on Sunday, August 13 at 1:20 p.m. ET.
Despite trailing five strokes ahead of the fourth round, the three-time FedEx Cup champion is backing himself for the Sunday finale.
He said:
"I feel like I've sort of been stuck in neutral a little bit this week, and I'm still in a decent position. So, it would on what the leaders do coming in. Five back going into tomorrow, I feel like I could catch fire and hopefully make a run."
When will the fourth round of the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship begin?
The fourth round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship will start on Sunday, August 13 at 8 am ET, with Sepp Straka and Wyndham Clark teeing off as the first pair. Lucas Glover and Wyndham Clark will be the last duo to tee off at TPC Southwind on Sunday, August 13.
Glover, who shot 4-under 66 on the third day at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, has a stroke lead over Taylor Moore. If Glover triumphs at the TPC Southwind on Sunday, this will be his second straight win after the Wyndham Championship last week.
Tommy Fleetwood is placed third at 12-under, followed by Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth, who are tied for fourth.