Rory McIlroy’s third round at the BMW Championship was a rollercoaster, posting a 2-under 70 despite making seven birdies Saturday at Wentworth Club.
The Northern Irishman’s scorecard told the story of what could have been. While the birdies flowed, McIlroy’s round was derailed by two costly double bogeys at the ninth and 17th holes, plus another bogey at the sixth.
McIlroy, fresh off his emotional win at last week’s Irish Open, started the day nine shots off the lead. He built early momentum with two quick birdies before stumbling at the par-4 sixth.
Disaster struck at the ninth when his tee shot strayed wide right into the trees, forcing him to take an unplayable lie. The resulting double bogey stalled his progress.
He rallied impressively on the back nine, reeling off birdies at 10, 12, 13 and 16 to climb the leaderboard. But just as momentum was building, the par-5 17th proved catastrophic.
Despite finding the fairway, McIlroy’s aggressive 300-yard second shot sailed right into trouble again. Another unplayable lie led to his second double bogey of the day.
There was some consolation at the par-5 18th, where he finally managed a birdie after playing the hole 3-over through the first two rounds. When he signed his card, McIlroy sat at 5-under for the tournament, outside the top 50 and nine shots behind the leaders.
Playing alongside McIlroy, his good friend and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry posted a solid 68 to reach 7-under par.
