While it almost seemed too mouthwatering to be possible for Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to power to the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Genesis Invitational, few would have ever imagined that both men would be clinging onto a place inside the top 10 after Saturday.
Rory McIlroy was fourth at the halfway stage of the Genesis Invitational after a superb 67 on Friday. And given that he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am recently, it seemed that he was poised to make another charge.
Unfortunately, the Northern Irishman has left himself with a mountain to climb. McIlroy’s problems off the tee let up, but only so his putting could cause him all sorts of headaches.
McIlroy missed a number of short putts during the third round at Torrey Pines – evoking memories of the issues he had on the final three holes at Pinehurst at last year’s US Open.
The good news for Rory McIlroy after tough third round at the Genesis Invitational
He goes into the final round five shots back of Patrick Rodgers. And he actually finds alongside Scottie Scheffler on the leaderboard, with the world number one enduring an even worse day in California.
But speaking on Golf Channel about McIlroy’s issues, Johnson Wagner insisted that there is still reason for the four-time major champion to be hopeful.
“I have no idea [what happened], it was not what we expected. We thought the cream would rise to the top today, but the good news and when you play a course like Torrey, you can afford a round like 76. They’re not out of this when you look at that leaderboard. They still have a chance,” he said.
“For Rory specifically, came into the today talking about his par five performance, that was the least of his problems. He finally made a birdie on the 18th. For Rory, it all started with the putting, and it was happening early.
“He missed a short one on the first, and this is after a beautiful wedge shot and a beautiful drive on the second. Let’s get something going. That was left all the way.
“It continued here at the sixth. This is a par putt from just past the hole. That’s not two and a half feet away. Another par five, another bogey, more disappointment which caused him to really feel like he needed to press.
“We’ll go ahead to 16. This is the next one I want to see right here. He took his time, just something clearly off. That’s a tough putt in the shadows, a tough putt to read, but it was a theme all day long. Kept missing and missing putts. He was last in the field strokes gained putting today, 54 players made the cut, he finished 54th in putting today, losing just under four strokes to the field on the greens. And that’s why he had the day he had.”
Reason for long-term concern, but McIlroy knows he can putt himself back into contention at Torrey Pines
McIlroy’s putting statistics over the week will be cause for concern. However, at the same time, they also show that he could well produce the kind of round which does indeed bring him back into contention on Sunday.
Over the course of the tournament, McIlroy has lost just under a shot on the greens to the field.
| Round | Rory McIlroy’s strokes gained putting |
| One | 0.573 |
| Two | 2.418 |
| Three | -3.900 |
He picked up nearly two and a half shots on the putting surfaces on Friday. So he knows that he could definitely have a say down the stretch if his putter gets hot again.
But clearly, the worry will be the lack of consistency with his putter over the week. The last thing he needs is to go into major championship season with any doubts over what he may produce on the greens.
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