British Open Round 3: McIlroy eagles 18 to lead the field at 16-under
Rory McIlroy couldn't be tamed at Royal Liverpool Saturday afternoon. He set the pace and made his move on the back nine to open up a six-shot lead over the field. McIlroy finished with a 4-under 68 on the day.
With an eagle chance on the par-5 16, McIlroy nailed the 20-foot putt and extended his three-stroke lead to five over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. A miscue out of the rough on 17 left McIlroy with a bogey, which he corrected with an eagle on the par-5 18th.
If Rory McIlroy (25 yrs) wins @The_Open, he will be 3rd youngest to win 3 majors in Masters Era (since '34) - Nicklaus (23), Woods (24)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 19, 2014
Should @McIlroyRory win @The_Open, he'd become the 7th champion to do so in wire-to-wire fashion. Last was @TigerWoods in 2005. @pgatour
— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) July 19, 2014
Fowler's strong third round ended on 13 when he saved par after getting into some trouble with the rough. He made bogey on 14, 16, and 17, and ended up 10-under, good for second place. Garcia had troubles of his own, overshooting a few greens and landing in the rough, and finished 9-under.
Dustin Johnson birdied 18 to tie Garcia. World No. 1 Adam Scott cleaned up his round after a double-bogey on 10 with five birdies on the back nine. He sits at 6-under.
Tiger Woods recorded two double-bogeys on his back nine, finishing the day at 1-over for the round, and 3-over overall, tied for 58th.
Here's a look at the leaderboard after three rounds:
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | -16 |
| 2 | Rickie Fowler | -10 |
| T3 | Sergio Garcia | -9 |
| T3 | Dustin Johnson | -9 |
| 5 | Victor Dubuisson | -8 |
| 6 | Edoardo Molinari | -7 |
| T7 | Matteo Manassero | -6 |
| T7 | Adam Scott | -6 |
| T7 | Robert Karlsson | -6 |
| T7 | Jim Furyk | -6 |
| T7 | Charl Schwartzel | -6 |