Rory McIlroy putts on the first green during the third round of THE CJ CUP in South Carolina golf tournament. (Photo: David Yeazell/USA TODAY Sports)
It has become no surprise to see Rory McIlroy near the top of the leaderboard in recent weeks.
Whether it’s major championships, FedEx Cup Playoffs, DP World Tour or PGA Tour events, McIlroy is playing some of the best golf in the world, and he again has positioned himself for another win in his first start on Tour in the 2022-23 season.
McIlroy carded his second straight 4-under 67 and sits in the lead at 13-under 200. He played the par 5s in 5 under on moving day and had two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys during his round.
“I felt I was trying to make birdies, but just every time I took a step forward, I took a step back,” McIlroy said. “It was just, I guess it was just the way the course – the course played a little bit 2 tougher today than the previous two days.”
Yet it was enough to surpass 36-hole leaders Jon Rahm and Kurt Kitayama, who sit one shot behind at 12 under heading to Sunday. K.H. Lee, who tied the low round of the day Saturday with a 5-under 66, is also at 12 under.
For McIlroy, he said he’s not focused on the world ranking.
“The ranking will just take care of itself if I do what I want to do,” McIlroy said. “Ultimately, I just want to win this golf tournament. If I win the golf tournament, then everything will take care of itself. So for me, tomorrow I need to go out there, sort of set myself a score that I want to shoot, try to do that.”
