Rory McIlroy chases Canada Open peat third place with Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood in contention | Golf News

CT Pan is leading twice at the RBC Canada Open, with Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose all in the group sharing second place; Watch the final live on Sunday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy is just two shots from the leader to advance to the final round of the RBC Canada Open

Rory McIlroy has set his sights on his third consecutive RBC Canada Open title after taking a two-stroke lead to advance to the finals in Toronto.

The world number 3, who won the final two editions of the event in 2019 and 2022, shot six birdies in a stellar 66 no bogey at Oakdale Golf & Country Club on Saturday to stay in touch with the 54 hole leader CT Pan.

McIlroy took the lead temporarily as he trailed a nine-point 33 ahead by firing three birdies in a row from the 11th, although the final three-stroke equalized him six ways to tie for spot. second above 12 points below.

Rory McIlroy played 71, 67 and 66 in the first three days

McIlroy said: “It’s great to try tomorrow. “I’ve never won a tournament three times in a row. I feel like last year winning wasn’t just for me but for a number of other things. But this year, this year, if I can cross the limit. term, will only be for me.”

Pan birdies his final two holes to finish the 66th round and rise to the top of the congested leaderboard with 14 points below, while McIlroy is joined by Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Mark Hubbard, Andrew Novak and Harry Higgs two sticks back.

Justin Rose is chasing his second win of the year, following the success of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February

Rose charged into the fray by birdie scoring six of his last seven holes to score six under 66, as Fleetwood recovered from a slow start to birdie hat-trick from the seventh hole and added five more. more points on his nine holes to score the third-round 64.

“I feel like the leaderboard is very, very cramped, so maintaining that close proximity for those first two days was very important,” Fleetwood said. “Today is going to be a great round and you just have to go out and enjoy the days as they come.”

England’s Aaron Rai overcame birdie in the par-5 final to move to 11 points below and tie in eighth with Canada’s Nick Taylor, who entered contention earlier in the day with a score of 62 in days, while Corey Conners finished the top 10 and was four out of ten.

Tyrrell Hatton slowed down by six points after hitting just 72 on a low scoring day, while US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was in the top 20 and eight points behind three points under 69.

Who will win the RBC Canada Open? Catch early coverage of the finals on Sunday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf, before the full coverage from 6pm.