TULSA, OK - MAY 21: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland on the 13th hole during the third round of the 2022 PGA Championship at the Southern Hills on May 21, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

RORY McIlroy must go back to the major drawing board after a disastrous third round 74 left him needing a miracle to end his eight-year drought in the US PGA at Southern Hills.

The Holywood star mounted a late comeback from disaster but closed with a three-putt bogey and fell nine shots behind Chile’s Mito Pereira, tied for 17th on level par, in cool and blustery conditions in Tulsa.

As Séamus Power surged into contention with a three-under 67 to lie solo sixth, six shots off the pace on three-under, McIlroy went backwards on moving day.

The Holywood star was five behind Will Zalatoris overnight but needing a fast start he ran up a double-bogey after a visit to water at the par-three sixth before following another dropped shot at the seventh with a three-putt bogey at the eighth.

He birdied the short par-four ninth but ran up a disastrous triple-bogey six at the 168-yard 11th when he failed to make it out of the swale left of the green at the first attempt and three-putted from 10 feet.

He was ten shots behind Pereira at that stage and outside the top 20 on two-over.

But while he rallied and birdied the par-five 13th, then stitched his tee shot at the 223-yard 14th before making a 25 footer at the 16th, he flared his approach nearly 60 feet right of the flag at the 18th and three-putted, knocking his approach putt 11 feet past before leaving the course without comment.

Still seeking his first PGA Tour win, Pereira (27) sandwiched four mid-round bogeys between four birdies before knocking in a 27 footer for birdie at the 18th for a 69 and a three-shot lead over England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Zalatoris, who shot rounds of 67 and 73 respectively.

Irish eyes will be on Power after he fired four birdies in his last eight holes for a 67 in just his seventh round in a major.

Each has been as good as or better than the last - 74, 74, 74, 70, 71, 69 and now, 67.

The West Waterford star (35) was tied for 23rd on level par overnight, nine shots behind Zalatoris before he followed a level par front nine with a sensational homeward run of 32.

Playing in just his second major having tied for 27th on his debut in the Masters, the world number 42 bogeyed the third but birdied the 373-yard fourth before picking up another shot at the par-five fifth.

He had to get up and down after coming up well short when in between clubs at the par-three sixth but after watching a 40 footer stop on the lip at the seventh, he missed five-footer for par at the eighth to turn in level par and dropped another shot at the 168-yard 11th when he finished in the swale left of the green.

But he showed his class down the stretch by reeling off four birdies in five holes.

After firing wedges to eight feet at the 12th and four feet at the par-five 13th, he rifled a 157-yard approach to six feet at the 15th and knocked in the putt to move into the top 10.

“This is why you practice”

— Seamus Power

He then almost holed out for albatross with a three wood at the 296-yard 17th, before pitching to eight feet and knocking in the putt.

“It was a funny round,” Power said. “It was a little frustrating there around the turn. I bogeyed 11, and then I actually hit it in the rough on 12, but guessed right coming out of the rough, and it got close.

“And that really got me turned into the right direction, and I made some nice putts coming down the stretch.”

He added: “Everything feels pretty good I’m rolling it well and I’m driving it well so hopefully there’s a lot of exciting opportunities tomorrow.”

The Tooraneena man has played just seven rounds in majors but asked about his excitement level heading into the final day in contention, he said: “This is why you practice.

“All the way back to playing in West Waterford, this is why you’re practising crappy conditions and when things are going badly, this is why you fight through it to get in these kinds of spots and see all the work pay off.”

Like Power, Shane Lowry came from the tough side of the draw but he made two birdies and three bogeys in a one-over 71 to share 36th in on three-over.

“I wanted to go out and try to shoot two-under,” he said. “I felt like if I could get to par or even under par, I might have a bit of a sniff going into tomorrow with the way the conditions are.

“It’s disappointing and hard to win a major from the bad side of the draw. But some guys up there were on my side of the draw so it wasn’t undoable.”

Power looks remarkably poised considering his lack of experience at the top level. But at 35, he feels he has the life experience to keep things in perspective.

“I think some of it is just my age, being a little older starting in the majors,” he said. “It just gives you a better perspective. It’s obviously a big tournament but it’s not the end of the world and everything is not going to come to an end no matter what happens tomorrow.

“I think having the perspective of being slightly older and having been through all the stages of it, you know that opportunities will come. It’s kind of fun to be in this spot and fun to see how your game is going to hold up.”

As for his approach to the final round, he plans to keep his eye on the road and not get distracted by the scenery.

“Anything under par is always going to be a positive score on this course and it won’t be any different tomorrow,” he said. “You’re going have to play well or you going to go backwards, it’s a simple as that.

It’s just one hole after another. Number nine was playing pretty easy today but I hit a terrible tee shot and all of a sudden bogey is in play out of nowhere. It just doesn’t give you a break and it makes it fun because it makes it challenging.”

On first tee nerves, he said: “For me it’s going to be the same starting on the first tee tomorrow, just trying to hit the shot that I am visualising.

“I have different things I have to do in every shot and if I can do those things I’ll be happy so when I stand on first hole I’m going to visualise the drive I want to hit.

“Whether comes off or not, obviously I’m hoping it’s gonna come off so you’re hoping it’s there tomorrow. Sometimes it doesn’t happen

“Everything feels pretty good I’m rolling it well and I’m driving it well so hopefully there’s a lot of exciting opportunities tomorrow.”

Drawn with Abraham Ancer in the third last group for the final round, he knows Lady Luck may play her part.

He made 86 feet of putts yesterday but all of them from inside 10 feet after that 40 footer hung on the lip at the seventh,

“I haven’t holed anything long on the greens so I might need a little chip in or something like that,” he said. “They can change the course of a round.

“I thought I was going to whack the flag on 17 for an oul’ albatross there. That’s one of the things you need. You need a break here and there. Maybe one of them will come tomorrow.”

"Obviously was a tough day today but it was the best I’ve seen the greens and it made a world of difference. I made three or four nice putts on the back nine. I felt the greens were a little bit smoother and you just have a little bit more confidence trying to be aggressive and make putts.

"On Thursday afternoon it got a point where you just didn’t want to be running them three or four feet by. It makes it hard to make putts when you’re in that mindset so today I was a little more aggressive just because of the conditions and I was able to make some of those putts on the back.”

In contrast, McIlroy had a very poor day on the greens, finishing second last in the field for strokes gained putting yesterday after taking 32 putts with that 25 footer at the 16th the only putt he holed outside four feet.