World number one Rory McIlroy is well on course of winning back-to-back major titles, after taking a one stroke lead over the rest of the pack in the third round of the US PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club.
McIlroy finished the third round four under par, one stroke clear of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger. The Irishman bogeyed on eighth and 12th but just managed to escape from rest of the pack by hitting a late birdie.
"It wasn't as easy as I expected it to be out there," McIlroy said. "They tucked a few pins away and playing with the lead as well, you maybe can't play with the freedom as if you're chasing."
"But really happy with how I finished," he added. "To shoot another 67 without really having some of my best stuff for the round was really pleasing."
Rickie Fowler had a consistent day as he scored four birdies and finished two strokes behind McIlroy, while fellow American Phil Mickelson was tied fourth with Australian Jayson Day. Former world number one Adam Scott is on a disappointing tied 13th.
But there are still chances that the title might slip away from McIlroy as unlike the British Open, which he won three weeks ago, the Irish star's lead is not that big. Wiesberger, Fowler and Mickelson are right behind him and he cannot afford to make any mistakes in the final round.
"Standing on the first tee is going to feel different than how it felt a month ago at Hoylake because you don't have that ... it is going to be a shootout," McIlroy pointed out. "You know the conditions are soft. Guys are going to make birdies. And you know that you're going to have to make birdies as well."
"It's not the biggest lead I've ever had," he added. "But I'm still in control of this golf tournament."
Mickelson, after his disappointing two under par in the first round, rallied back with two four under par rounds to put himself in contention of winning the championship. The five-time major winner was not as consistent as Fowler and bogeyed thrice but made up for them by hitting five birdies.
"I put myself in a position where if I play the way I feel I can I'm in a position to win," Mickelson said. "You have to push yourself tomorrow to go low. You can't make the mistakes but you can't play defensive and conservative. You have to attack. The course is soft and you can get to a lot of pins."
Where to Watch Live
The second round action will start at 10:30 pm IST (1:00 pm ET, 5:00 pm GMT and 6:00 pm BST) with live coverage on Neo Sports in India and catch the live updates HERE or HERE. The Tournament will be available live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland with online streaming option HERE, catch the live updates HERE or HERE.
TNT will telecast the tournament live in the United States with live streaming option HERE. Watch the tournament in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa on SuperSport with online streaming option HERE.
