PGA Championship: Rory McIlroy proud of big fight and insists he can still challenge for Aronimink win | golf news

Rory McIlroy insists he still has the chance to challenge for back-to-back major titles after ‘climbing out of the hole’ to compete at the PGA Championship.

The Masters champion, the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win the first two majors of the calendar year, set his first third-round clubhouse target after a four-under 66 at Aronimink Golf Club.

McIlroy was seven strokes off the early lead after finishing four-bogey in his opening round 74, then five behind the leaders at the halfway point despite a second-round 67, putting himself further ahead of the world No. 2 after combining six birdies with two bogeys on Saturday.

The latest major fightback left McIlroy at three under and two shots behind leader Alex Smalley, in position to challenge for a third PGA Championship, with the six-time major champion satisfied with his response to a slow start to the tournament.

“I had a really bad finish on Thursday, but at the end of the day, I was only seven behind,” McIlroy added. “I thought back to last year’s Masters (where he won) – I was seven behind after the first day and I was two up on the final day.

“There’s a lot of golf during a golf tournament and a lot can happen. I’m slowly getting a little closer to the lead every day.

“We’ll see what happens, but I’m a little bit out of that hole. I’m proud of myself for doing it, but there’s one more day, and I think, if I can – depending on what the guys do – stay close enough to the lead, I feel like I’ve still got a good chance.”

How McIlroy raised high hopes on Aronimink

McIlroy made an early statement with intent after a good drive and set up an eight-foot birdie at the first, only to waste a chance from the same distance on the next and then bogey the fourth after missing from four feet.

The world No. 2 rolled in from 12 feet at the fifth and drove a monster onto the green at the 397-yard sixth, set up a two-putt birdie, then took advantage of the par-five ninth to cap off an impressive front-nine 32.

McIlroy got up and down the greenside bunker when he holed a 10-foot birdie at the 11th and followed with a driveable 12-foot par-save at the 13th to leave him bogey-free on the back nine.

He failed to take advantage on the par-five 16th and dropped a shot on the next par-three after finding the sand off the tee, McIlroy recovered from a fairway drive at the end to convert from eight feet and avoid a bogey-bogey finish.

“If I had to play the last three holes at one under instead of one over, I would have added five (under”), McIlroy added. “I thought if I could go out today and get to it, it would put the leaders on par to be with me or ahead of me.

“I just didn’t get there. I think I made a few mistakes in the last three holes. I feel like I still did enough to feel like I had a chance.”

McIlroy questioned the course set-up heading into the weekend, where just eight strokes separated the leaders from those who made the cut, with the 37-year-old frustrated by the conditions.

“I wasn’t trying to criticize the set-up,” McIlroy said told Sky Sports. “What I was trying to say is that when you have these big old golf courses that have been renovated — with wide fairways, big greens — and you start putting the pins away, everybody’s going to play the same way.

“That’s why you see a bunch of leaderboards. Very entertaining for people watching at home, very frustrating for people outside playing.

“You hear Scotty (Scheffler), Shane (Lowry) and myself… it was a frustrating first few days because it seemed like some of your good shots weren’t being rewarded with some of the hole positions. I think we were all a little disappointed when we left the course yesterday.”

Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch the final round live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports or Flow without any contract.