VIRGINIA WATER, England — Rory McIlroy hit a 4-iron from 230 yards to inside 2 feet and holed the eagle putt to finish off a 3-under 69 on Saturday and move into contention to win the BMW PGA Championship for the second time.
The No. 2-ranked McIlroy's birdie- eagle finish on the back-to-back closing par 5s at Wentworth left him on 11-under 205 after the third round, just two strokes off the lead held by Manuel Elvira and Filippo Cello on a crowded leaderboard.
There are 15 players within three shots of the lead — but one name stands out.
“I feel like I’ve given myself a real opportunity tomorrow,” said McIlroy, who won the European tour's flagship event in 2014 — in the same summer he captured two major titles, the British Open and the PGA Championship.
On a day when second-round leader Ryan Gerard went backward with a 75, many others took a big step forward — even if the top of the leaderboard doesn't contain too many household names.
Neither Celli (69) nor Elvira (68) have won a title on the European tour, while two of the three players tied for third place a shot back — Johannes Veerman (64) and Alejandro Del Rey (64) — are ranked No. 357 and No. 236, respectively.
The other player on 12 under is J.J. Spaun, the former U.S. Open winner who shot 68 as he looks to prove a point after missing out on selection for next week's Presidents Cup.
“It’s a bummer to miss out on the team events, whether it’s Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup,” Spaun said. “Definitely carrying a bit of a chip on my shoulder this week.”
McIlroy is in a five-man group in a tie for sixth place that also includes Adam Scott (71) and LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann (67).
“It’s going to be an interesting day,” McIlroy said, looking ahead to the final round. “There’s a lot of people around the lead. I think the conditions the last couple of days, that’s the reason it hasn’t let anyone get away from the pack just because it has played so tricky and difficult.”
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