Rory McIlroy’s insane rock shot vaults him into Irish Open contention

Rory McIlroy jumped 23 spots on the leaderboard on the Horizon Irish Open Saturday, carding a 6-under 66. It was tied with Ryan Fox and Billy Horschel for the bottom spherical of the day.

The Northern Irishman now sits in third alone, two pictures again of Germany’s Hurly Lengthy.

McIlroy struggled to search out the fairways earlier within the week, however turned that round Saturday.

He opened with a birdie on the par-4 1st and would exit in 33 with some strong play. As he headed to the par-5 sixteenth, he was 5-under for his spherical and only some pictures again. That’s when issues nearly went haywire.

McIlroy pushed his second shot into the water. His fourth from the drop zone hit rocks and took a wild bounce that someway discovered the inexperienced.

Regardless of lacking the lengthy par putt, the four-time main winner felt relieved.

“I received fortunate with that fourth shot, hitting the rocks and discovering the inexperienced… in all probability lucky to stroll away with a bogey there,” McIlroy stated after his spherical.

He stored that momentum going and completed birdie-birdie to shut out his spherical.

“To bounce again with the 2 birdies on 17 and 18 after placing the ball within the water on 16 was large, so total an incredible day’s play,” McIlroy stated.

That wasn’t the one little bit of drama he overcame. McIlroy additionally revealed that he broke his 3-wood again on the sixth after a poor tee shot.

“I went to hit the highest of that tee-marker and I caught the nook with the underside of the shaft.”

Nonetheless, he overcame the entire obstacles Saturday.

He now stands on the precipice of some fascinating historical past.

McIlroy is trying to be a part of Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo as legends to have gained their nationwide opens twice on the identical course. McIlroy beforehand gained this occasion at The Okay Membership again in 2016.

“It’s good to have the reminiscences of 2016 after I was capable of recover from the road. It’s laborious to win your individual nationwide open… The help of the house crowd is unimaginable. On the identical time, there’s a bit of additional stress there.”

Undoubtedly, he could have the help of the raucous Irish followers Sunday. Will he shut it out with one other epic win?

Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor/Web site Supervisor of SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. You may observe us at @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms.