LEAN TIMES: Rory McIlroy tries to coax his tee shot on the third hole during a third-round 66 yesterday at the Wells Fargo Championship that put him near the lead. (AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s difficult to look at Rory McIlroy without thinking about how he has completely surpassed Tiger Woods, his boyhood idol.
Woods has 13 more major championships than McIlroy, but McIlroy is simply playing a different game than Woods is now, playing at a higher level on a consistent basis.
So while Woods presumably was home yesterday in Jupiter, Fla., after missing the Wells Fargo Championship cut on Friday at Quail Hollow, McIlroy was where he seemingly always is — in contention to win.
McIlroy’s 6-under-par 66 yesterday catapulted him to 12-under and two shots off the lead held by Webb Simpson entering today’s final round.
McIlroy, who turned 23 on Friday, is in the thick of a crowded leaderboard with nine players within four shots of the lead. Ryan Moore and D.A. Points are 13-under. Nick Watney, who is staying at the home of Simpson, a Quail Hollow member, is tied with McIlroy at 12-under.
Rickie Fowler and Stewart Cink are 11-under and Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden and George McNeill are all 10-under.
Aside from the fact that McIlroy is playing far better golf than Woods, two incidents symbolized the divergent courses of the two players in the past two days.
On Friday, after Woods hit an errant approach shot left of the fifth green, a spectator apparently pocketed Woods’ golf ball.
Yesterday, McIlroy pushed his final tee shot of the round to the right of the fairway, careening toward the trees, and it looked like he would be blocked out from going for the green.
Instead of facing a possible bogey, though, McIlroy was saved by a spectator’s butt. His tee shot hit the man’s wallet in his back pocket and ricocheted back toward the fairway, where the ball came to rest in a nice fluffy lie in the rough, 177 yards from the flag.
As McIlroy approached the fan to shake his hand, the man said, “I tried to help you out as much as I could.’’
McIlroy thanked him, shook his hand, then stiffed his approach shot onto the green. He revisited man to sign the white glove he was wearing with the word “sorry’’ inscribed on the palm.
From there, McIlroy two-putted for par from 14 feet and marched off the green knowing this tournament is his for the taking today.
McIlroy has done this before at Quail Hollow, winning his first PGA Tour event in 2010 with a remarkable final-round 62 that featured a mind-boggling finish of six consecutive 3s.
“I really like this style of golf course,’’ McIlroy said. “I’m happy to be back here and glad to be in the mix going into [today].’’
McIlroy carded eight birdies and two bogeys, with his only real hiccup a surprising three-putt from 15 feet.
“I definitely feel like I left a couple [shots] out there,’’ McIlroy said. “The three-putt on 16 was pretty disappointing, but 66 is a good score. I feel like I have another one of those scores in me [today]. Hopefully, I don’t need to finish with six 3s. Hopefully, I can give myself a cushion.’’
McIlroy ignited his round with birdies on the first three holes and took off from there, calling it “the key to the round, to get off to that kind of start.’’
McIlroy got an unexpected psychological boost on Friday night when his parents came to town to surprise him for his birthday.
“I walked in for dinner and they were sitting there,’’ McIlroy said. “They flew in for the weekend, which is a nice surprise. It was nice to spend my birthday with them. Now they’re going to hang around for the weekend.’’
Perhaps the McIlroys will see their son, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, win again and reassert himself as No. 1, a position he held for several weeks earlier this year and one Woods used to know well.
