Rory McIlroy blocks sound to stay in contention for Canadian Open three-peat…as he hits six-under-par to stay within two strokes of leader CT Pan ahead of the final round
Days after Rory McIlroy was caught off guard by the PGA Tour’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund, he positioned himself for a run at a third consecutive Canadian Open title.
McIlroy, the strongest vote against the Saudi-funded LIV Gulf, who said Wednesday he feels like a “sacrificial lamb,” shot a 6-under 66 in tree-lined Oakdale on Saturday, putting him two strokes behind leader CT Pan left behind.
The four-time major champion from Northern Ireland won in Hamilton in 2019 and then – after the event was canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic – won last year in Toronto at St. George’s amid a flurry of LIV Golf controversy . He was asked if the weather meant a little more – with the news coming Tuesday.
‘Look, I would love to win the Canadian Open for the third time. I’ve never won a tournament three times in a row,” said McIlroy. “I felt like the win last year wasn’t just for me, but for a few other things. But this one, this year, if I could cross the line, will be just for me.”
Pan, from Taiwan, birdied the last two holes for a 66 to go 14-under 202. The 31-year-old former University of Washington player won the 2019 RBC Heritage for his only PGA Tour title.
Rory McIlroy managed to shut out the noise surrounding golf and put up a six-under-par Saturday
Huge crowds turned out for the four-time big winner as he seeks a third straight title
“It’s always cool to see my name at the top of the leaderboard,” said Pan. “Not just leaderboards, just to be in the fray. That’s all I want to do before the tournament starts. Finished birdie-birdie. That put me in a good place. But I still have a lot of work to do.’
In third place, McIlroy is chasing his 32nd global win a week before the US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club.
“For whatever reason, I seem to play better when there’s some noise in the golf world,” said McIlroy. “It’s really nice to get into the ropes and concentrate on my job at the end of the day, which is trying to get the ball across the golf course.”
McIlroy birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 13, then parried the last five.
“The putter got a little cold on me on those last five holes,” McIlroy said. “But overall it’s great to give myself a chance tomorrow. There are a lot of people in charge, so it’s going to be a fun day.’
England’s Tommy Fleetwood (64) and Justin Rose (66) – McIlroy’s European Ryder Cup teammates – were also two strokes back at 12 under, along with Mark Hubbard (66), Harry Higgs (67) and Andrew Novak (67).
The current leader heading into the final match day is Taiwan’s CT Pan (right)
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is also close to the top and has a chance to win on Sunday
Nick Taylor was the top Canadian, shooting a course record of 63 on the composite course at the historic 27-hole facility to get to 11 under. He’s trying to become the first Canadian winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
Aaron Rai was also 11 under on a 69. Canadian Corey Conners got another stroke back on a 70.
Second round leader Carl Yuan of China had a 74 to drop to a tie for 16th place at 7 under.
Former top amateur Ludvig Aberg, the Swede who shone at Texas Tech, was tied for 33rd at 4-under after a 71 in his pro debut.