McIlroy decimating the field at the third round of the US Open. Is history on his side? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
BETHESDA, Md. — With each remarkable round, with each record-setting performance, Rory McIlroy is making that Masters debacle seem like a distant memory.
A U.S. Open title could erase it altogether.
McIlroy moved closer to his first major Saturday at Congressional by stretching his lead for the third straight day with a 3-under 68 to set the 54-hole record at the U.S. Open — a mind-boggling 14-under 199 — and build an eight-shot lead going into the final round.
That’s twice the size of his lead going into the last day at Augusta National.
And this time, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman says he has learned from his mistakes.
“At Augusta, it was all a little bit new to me, going into the final round with the lead,” he said. “I didn’t know whether to be defensive, aggressive, go for it, not go for it. But now, I know what I need to do, which is a great thing to have. I have a clear mind going out there tomorrow, and I just need to stick to my game plan.”
This time, history is on his side.
No one has ever blown more than a five-shot lead at the U.S. Open. No has ever lost any major when leading by more than six shots going into the final round. And over three days on a rain-softened course, no one looks to be close to McIlroy.
His nearest challenger and playing partner, South Korea’s Y.E. Yang, carded a 70 to sit on six-under-par, one clear of Lee Westwood, Jason Day and Robert Garrigus.
The Northern Irishman, who surrendered a four-stroke lead going into the final day at this year’s U.S. Masters, knows it will take a collapse of more epic proportions to deprive him of his first Major tournament victory.
Can McIIroy conquer Masters demons?
No player has lost such an advantage after 54 holes of a Major since the very first Open Championship in 1860.
In 1996, Australia’s Greg Norman went into the final day of the Masters leading by six strokes before his game disintegrated, allowing Englishman Nick Faldo to surge past him and win by five.
“Overall, I’m very happy with the way I played today,” McIlroy told reporters, in quotes carried by PGAtour.com. “Now, I just have to do that for 18 more holes.”
Starting the day six shots ahead — which equaled Tiger Woods’ record for the best score at the halfway point in a tournament — McIlroy was quickly into the groove as he carded two birdies at the fifth and ninth holes.
He quickly made amends for a dropped shot at 10 by making birdie at the 11th, after his approach shot to the flag left him with an 18ft putt which he holed.
He picked up another shot on 14, arrowing in a six-footer to make history on 14-under-par, before he missed the chance to go one better at the last hole when he two-putted from 10ft away.
Meanwhile, defending champion and fellow Ulsterman, Graeme McDowell, finished with a 69 to leave him level par for the tournament, while new World No.1 Luke Donald could only manage a disappointing 74, for seven-under-par — a massive 21 strokes off the lead.
McDowell described McIIroy’s performance as “just phenomenal.”
He told reporters: “You run out of superlatives to describe what he’s doing this week. He’s decimating a field.”