McIlroy still in striking distance
Golf,
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Rory McIlroy could only manage a two-over par 72 in his third round at the St Jude Classic but is still in contention for the title.
The 23-year-old led the field by one shot on seven-under par at the halfway stage in Tennessee but struggled in difficult conditions on Saturday to slip back to -5 and a share of second place.
But he is just one shot off the lead held by three players, with Australia's Nick O'Hern and American duo Davis Love III and John Merrick all sitting on six-under par with just 18 holes to play.
McIlroy struggled in the strong winds and carded six bogeys and four birdies during his round and the Northern Irishman admitted he was happy to get through the day relatively unscathed.
"It was a very testing day with the conditions and I definitely didn't feel as comfortable as yesterday," he said. "But it was a good experience trying to put what I've been working on in my swing into competitive pressure.
"For the most part it held up pretty well but there were a few loose shots out there."
McIlroy is in a group of six players on -5, with Dustin Johnson shooting a three-under par 67 to join him near the top of the leaderboard.
The 27-year-old has missed three months of action through injury this year but looks back to his best with the US Open set to begin next week.
Robert Allenby, Kevin Kisner, Chad Campbell and Kevin Stadler complete those tied for fourth, with JB Holmes on his own just one shot further back.
Padraig Harrington looks to be hitting a bit of form at the right time as he is still very much in contention after a 71 on Saturday left him in a group of nine players on -3, while Scotland's Martin Laird will have to go low on Sunday to win as he sits on one-under par.
But all eyes will be on McIlroy on Sunday to see if he can match Tiger Woods' result last week, with the former world number one winning the Memorial Tournament to put down a marker ahead of the year's second major.


