Rory ready for victory roar
Rory McIlroy produced a stunning finish to remain on track for his maiden European Tour win at the UBS Hong Kong Open. The Holywood idol, 19, birdied his last three holes for a bogey free 66 that leaves him just three strokes adrift of leader Oliver Wilson entering the final round at Fanling. And with five top-10 finishes from his last seven starts, McIlroy believes it is only a matter of time before he enters the winner’s circle.
Tied for fourth place on 10-under par, McIlroy said: “I played very well and I was very patient. I had 12 pars in a row to start off with and then took my chances when they came on the back nine.
“I am not usually that patient to be honest but I knew that I had chances coming in. Yesterday I didn’t take my chances coming in with my wedges in my hand but today I did.
“I knew the 13th was an easy birdie chance, going into a par-five with a mid-iron. From there I thought it would be great if I could pick up a couple of birdies and to hole that putt on the last was a nice way to finish and it sets me up for tomorrow.
“I just want to keep it going and give myself a chance going into the back nine tomorrow. That is all I am trying to do. If I can play the front nine the way I did today or even a couple of shots better, I will be right in there.
“I have got a lot of belief in myself and I feel as if I am ready to win. If it is not this week it might be next week or the week after.” Rory McIlroy
“The couple of months, ever since Switzerland, have been really good for me. I have played really well and it is given me a little boost of confidence and shown me what I can do.
“I have got a lot of belief in myself and I feel as if I am ready to win. If it is not this week it might be next week or the week after. As long as keep putting myself in these positions I feel that I will be okay.
“I led in Switzerland from the first hole until the 72nd really and lost in a play-off. I played really well and I take all the positives from it and try to learn from the mistakes. There weren’t many mistakes just on the 18th, so it was a great week for me and it made me even hungrier to win out here and I feel ready to win, if not tomorrow then in the not too distant future.”
Graeme McDowell shot a five-under par 65 to get to within seven shots of the leader while veteran Bernhard Langer, 51, hit an amazing 63 to get within two shots of Wilson on 11 under.
“It was kind of a strange day,” said Langer. “It is always great top be up on the leaderboard and it is always great to be in contention.
“That is what we practice for and what we work for; to have a good chance on Sunday afternoon to win a tournament.”
It should be no surprise to see the 1991 UBS Hong Kong Open champion near the top of the leaderboard after four wins this year - once on the European Senior Tour, in the Czech Republic, and three times on the US Champions Tour - on the way to topping their money list.
And after the tournament saw 14 year old Jason Hak become the youngest player to make a cut in a European Tour event, Langer has a chance of setting a record of becoming the oldest player to win on The European Tour, surpassing the record of Des Smyth, who was 48 and 34 days when he won the 2001 Madeira Island Open.
Ballyclare’s Gareth Maybin continued his excellent start to his European Tour career with a third round 68 moving him into the top 30 on four under while Paul McGinley leapt to tied 41st after taking just 26 putts in a 67.
|
Pos
|
Name
|
Score
|
Hole
|
|
1
|
Oliver Wilson
|
-13
|
18
|
|
2
|
Wen-tang Lin
|
-12
|
18
|
|
3
|
Bernhard Langer
|
-11
|
18
|
|
4
|
Pablo Larrazábal
|
-10
|
18
|
|
4
|
Rory McIlroy
|
-10
|
18
|
|
4
|
Francesco Molinari
|
-10
|
18
|
|
4
|
Jeev Milkha Singh
|
-10
|
18
|
|
8
|
Colin Montgomerie
|
-9
|
18
|
|
9
|
David Gleeson
|
-8
|
18
|
|
9
|
Chawalit Plaphol
|
-8
|
18
|
|
9
|
Iain Steel
|
-8
|
18
|
|
9
|
Richard Sterne
|
-8
|
18
|