Xander Schauffele says how he feels about Rory McIlroy playing well at The Open and the crowd support for him

Add as preferred source on Google

Rory McIlroy has kept his hopes of winning The Open Championship for a second time alive after a stunning third round at Royal Portrush on Saturday.

It did appear that Rory McIlroy had a little too much to do if he was going to win The Open Championship. He reached the halfway mark of the final major of the year seven shots back of the lead, held by Scottie Scheffler.

The lead looks set to remain a significant one. However, McIlroy can take a lot of positives from his performance on Saturday.

McIlroy was flawless on the front nine. And while he made a bogey on the 11th, he responded in the best possible way on the following hole.

Xander Schauffele reacts to the reception Rory McIlroy received to his eagle putt

The 36-year-old holed a long putt for eagle to delight the galleries around Royal Portrush. And it seems that the brilliant moment forced most of the course to sit up and take notice.

Xander Schauffele was on the 17th tee when McIlroy’s eagle dropped. And he suggested that he was stopped in his tracks by the world number two stealing the show.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s loud. It’s cool. I’m glad he’s playing well for his home country. It’s sort of what golf needs, and entertainment’s high. I was on 17 tee when I heard whatever happened on 12. I assumed it was an eagle, some sort of hole-out. I was pretty far away, and it was very loud, and he got a standing ovation walking down 13,” he said.

“Looks like he’s enjoying it. Looks like the fans are enjoying it, which is great for this event.”

Xander Schauffele pleased with his putting improvement at Royal Portrush

Schauffele has given himself an outside chance of retaining his Open Championship crown. A 66 on Saturday has left him inside the top 10, but probably needing one of the best rounds of his career to win a third major title this week.

It is definitely a step in the right direction for the American. And it seems that he is significantly happier with his putting this week following his display at the Genesis Scottish Open leading into this major.

“I think I’ve been putting a lot better this week than last week actually. I think my stats ran in the red every day except Sunday. Tried pretty hard to figure out how to get everything correct to roll the ball well on these greens, and I think this week has been a little bit better,” he said.

It has largely been an underwhelming major championship season for Schauffele. But he is potentially finding form at a good time when it comes to the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup.