ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy turned his white hat backwards during the rain-hit third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday and got down to business, posting one of a handful of under-par rounds to keep himself in contention.
To avoid the distraction of rain dripping off his visor and into his line of sight, McIlroy opted to join the backward hat brigade at Oak Hill where he will enter Sunday’s final round five shots back of leader Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy reached the turn at one over for the day and added three birdies and a bogey to his card on the back nine for a one-under-par 69 that left him at one under on the week.
“It’s funny, I was a little more accepting of the ball going in the rough today, and I actually hit more fairways because of it,” said McIlroy.
“Again, it just goes to show if you have a little more of a carefree attitude, it seems to work out a little bit better.”
McIlroy missed the cut at last month’s Masters and then took a break from the game for his “mental and emotional well-being”. The decision is paying off as the Northern Irishman appears to have a renewed focus as he chases a fifth career major title.
Rather than allowing errant shots on a challenging Oak Hill layout to rattle him, McIlroy is preaching patience this week. He admits his game may not feel great but added that he still has lots to be pleased about this week.
“I think just my attitude has been well. My ability to just stick in there and show a little bit of grit and determination and not let rounds get away from me too much,” said McIlroy.
“I made a good save — two good putts for bogeys today on the 6th and 17th there. So just doing things like that, not letting the round really get away from you. That’s what I’ve done well this week.”
While McIlroy struck the ball better during the third round than he has all week, he feels confident that it is going to take plenty more than just good golf swings to triumph.
“This tournament and especially in these conditions and on this golf course, the non-physical parts of the game I think are way more important this week than the physical parts of the game,” said McIlroy. “And I think I’ve done those well, and that’s the reason that I’m in a decent position.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
