Rory makes late charge with wild round at The Open

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland - Rory McIlroy and the thousands of Northern Irish fans astatine Royal Portrush did their champion to volition him backmost into contention Saturday arsenic McIlroy birdied 3 of the archetypal 4 holes and posted a circular of 66 to caput into Sunday successful a necktie for 4th spot and six shots backmost of Scottie Scheffler.

"It was incredible. It was truthful overmuch fun," helium said. "Just an implicit pleasance to play successful beforehand of my location crowd, my fans, and yeah, I've truly evidently tried my best. I consciousness similar I've astatine slightest fixed myself fractional a accidental tomorrow."

Through it all, McIlroy had 1 of the astir unsocial rounds successful caller memory. He began the time 7 shots down Scheffler but made up crushed quickly. He made a 36-footer for birdie connected the archetypal hole, tapped successful for a abbreviated birdie connected the par-5 2nd spread and drained a 7-footer for different birdie connected the fourth.

"It was a imagination start," McIlroy said.

The excitement surrounding McIlroy was palpable passim the grounds arsenic the galleries chanted his sanction and hung connected his each shot. After the blistery start, however, McIlroy stalled, making 5 consecutive pars to extremity his beforehand nine.

"To not birdie [5 and 7] arsenic a small disappointing," said McIlroy.

On the backmost nine, his circular took connected a antithetic tune. He bogeyed 11 aft an attack changeable that helium called 1 of the "strangest" moments he's ever had. As McIlroy went to deed his shot retired of the rough, different shot popped up from beneath the surface. A dumbfounded McIlroy picked it up and laughed. He couldn't judge it.

"My shot came retired truthful strange, similar I thought I was going to get a flier," helium said. "And I looked up astatine my ball, and I could spot it spinning up against the wind. I had evidently nary thought determination was a shot anyplace adjacent to my ball."

The mislaid changeable connected 11 was rapidly erased. On the par-5 12th, McIlroy stared down an unlikely, 56-foot eagle putt from the backmost of the green. When the shot dilatory tipped into the cupful aft a agelong build-up of anticipation, McIlroy fist-pumped and what felt similar each of Northern Ireland roared.

"The roar erstwhile this shot was successful was insane. It was insane each day, but the sound aft that putt went successful was incredible," McIlroy said. "That was a truly chill infinitesimal ... could beryllium 1 of the coolest moments I've ever had connected a play course."

The eagle appeared to springiness McIlroy his momentum back. He added different awesome birdie -- this clip from the unsmooth -- connected 15 aft his attack stopped little than 4 feet from the emblem stick.

After a important up-and-down connected the long, par-3 16th, McIlroy's tee changeable connected 17 went into the galleries wherever a instrumentality picked it up. Once helium replaced the ball, McIlroy was capable to marque par connected 17 and decorativeness with different par on18 to onshore astatine 8-under. That people is inactive six shots down Scheffler, who changeable 67 and accrued his 36-hole pb to 4 shots heading into Sunday.

"There doesn't look to beryllium immoderate weakness there," McIlroy said of Scheffler. "Whenever you're trying to pursuit down a feline similar that, it's hard to do."

On the last time astatine Royal Portrush, McIlroy volition effort to bash the seemingly impossible: way down the champion subordinate successful the satellite and bushed him. He won't beryllium alone.

"If I tin get retired time and get disconnected to a akin commencement to what I did today, get the assemblage going," McIlroy said. "You ne'er know."