McIlroy scales the heights

Teenager would be Europe's third youngest winner

Last updated: 7th September 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

McIlroy scales the heights

McIlroy: chasing maiden win

This is my first time in this situation and I'm just really looking forward to tomorrow. I don't want to take my foot off the pedal - I've a four-shot lead and I'd like a six-shot lead tomorrow.

Rory McIlroy
Quotes of the week

Omega European Masters
Third round leaders
GB&Ire unless stated
-13 R McIlroy
-9 J Abbate (Arg)
-9 A Canizares (Spn)
-9 C Cevaer (Fra)
-9 J Clement (Sui)
-9 R Dinwiddie
-9 J-F Lucquin (Fra

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Nineteen-year-old Rory McIlroy will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the Omega European Masters after a sizzling 66 on Saturday.

If the Northern Irelander can hold on to the lead at Crand-sur-Sierre on Sunday, he will become the third youngest winner in European Tour history.

South African Dale Hayes was only 18 when he won the 1971 Spanish Open, while Seve Ballesteros was just five days younger than McIlroy when he lifted the 1976 Dutch Open.

Playing in the final group alongside defending champion Brett Rumford, McIlroy completely outplayed the Australian.

The man from Perth rolled in an opening 40-foot eagle putt but McIlroy had already hit his approach to the par five to three feet and made the putt for a matching three.

Turnaround

He added six birdies to move to 13-under, continuing a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes after missing the last three halfway cuts.

His closest challengers now, all on nine under, are England's Robert Dinwiddie, French pair Christian Cevaer and Jean-Francois Lucquin, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Argentina's Juan Abbate and also Julien Clement, a Swiss player who does not have a European Tour card and is ranked 779th in the world.

Rumford dropped all the way to 16th, seven shots adrift, after a 73 and now looks unlikely to become the first player to make a successful defence of the title since Ballesteros in 1978.

McIlroy's professional career is still not quite one year old.

He left the amateur ranks after winning a Walker Cup cap and within a month had finished third in the Dunhill Links at St Andrews and fourth at the Madrid Open.

As a result he did not have to go to the tour qualifying school, but until this week his 2008 campaign had not delivered in the way many people expected.

He is 89th on the Order of Merit, only six places higher than he managed in four starts last year. But winning the £280,000 first prize here would more than double his money and move him well inside the top 60 who qualify for a place in the season-ending Volvo Masters.

Satisfying

McIlroy, who for his eagle on the 543-yard first needed only a drive and nine-iron in the thin air, said: "That settled my nerves.

"It was definitely more satisfying than the 63 given the circumstances. Brett is a very good player and five under was a very good effort.

"This is my first time in this situation and I'm just really looking forward to tomorrow. I don't want to take my foot off the pedal - I've a four-shot lead and I'd like a six-shot lead tomorrow.

"Trying to make birdies is the way I play my best. It would be fantastic to win."