Rory McIlroy admits he’s making exactly the same mistake that he did at the Masters at the Olympics

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Rory McIlroy might be in contention to win a medal at the Olympics but he’s admitted an old habit has been hard to shrug off while playing.

McIlroy ploughed his around Le Golf National today to shoot five under and finish within four of leader, Jon Rahm.

The Northern Irishman is desperate to add an Olympic medal to his bursting trophy room and going into Sunday, he’s given himself a chance.

Of course, there are some big names ahead of him as well.

• READ MORE: Xander Schauffele suggests final round score he’s aiming to shoot to win Olympic gold medal

Rahm leads, while Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele sit just behind, and world number one Scottie Scheffler is also in contention.

And McIlroy, after struggling at the Masters and The Open in 2024, has admitted that he’s still making the same mistake when it comes to checking the scores.

Rory McIlroy admits he ‘can’t help’ himself when it comes to golf leader boards

Speaking after his fine third round saw him move into contention for a medal in Paris, McIlroy admitted that he’d still not been able to take himself away from looking at the scoreboard.

“Yeah, I can’t help myself. Don’t have the discipline not to. Yeah, I was looking at it most of the round, especially when there’s a couple of, like Tommy is up there and keeping an eye on how he’s doing,” McIlroy said.

“Yeah, I’ve been watching it a good bit.”

McIlroy has previously spoken of his experience of checking the leaderboard in the past and admitted it has cost him on occasion.

• READ MORE: Tommy Fleetwood explains why he hasn’t felt comfortable at the Olympics despite sharing lead at Le Golf National

Quoted in the Mirror earlier this year, McIlroy conceded he’d let his suspicions get the better of him before.

“I tell the story of being 10 behind at the Masters on the Friday,” McIlroy said.

“I looked at the leaderboard and then started to push, hit shots that I shouldn’t have hit and all of a sudden you go from a couple of shots out of contention to missing the cut. So I think for me that was a big learning [curve] because there is no point looking at the leaderboard on a Friday or even Saturday.”

It seems, though, that McIlroy has not quite learnt his lesson and while he played well in Paris today, there’s no margin for error on Sunday.

Still, McIlroy is right in the heat of the battle and with a stacked field not separated by much, it’s all set for a superb final day showdown in Paris.