Rory McIlroy delivered an impressive performance at Royal Portrush, birdieing three of his first four holes. Despite a mid-round bogey, he rallied with an eagle at the 12th and another birdie at the 15th. Scheffler maintained a four-shot lead with a score of 67, performing well even without his best game. McIlroy acknowledged Scheffler's strong play and emphasized the importance of starting strong on the final day to rally the crowd. Although optimistic, he recognized the need for improved driving to close the gap.
"Look, Scottie Scheffler, he's inevitable, even when he doesn't have his best stuff," said McIlroy, who is tied for fourth with American duo Chris Gotterup (68), Harris English (68) and England's Tyrrell Hatton (68) on eight-under.
"He's become a complete player. He's so good around the greens. He's improved so much with his putter. It's going to be tough to catch him if he keeps playing the way he does.
"But if I can get out and get off to a similar start, get the crowd going, hopefully he sees that a couple of groups behind me and you never know.
"McIlroy knows he has a chance, but he will need to drive the ball better, having escaped disaster by inches several times yesterday."
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