Rory McIlroy closes out round in style to put himself in contention at Wentworth

McIlroy played the final two holes in three-under as he finished 11-under for the tournament

Rory McIlroy is two shots off the lead heading into the final round at the BMW PGA Championship. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

Rory McIlroy felt like he was "stuck in neutral for the most part" during his third round at the BMW PGA Championship on Saturday but he did briefly hit top gear as he finished with a superb eagle on the 18th. The three-under round moved him to 11-under. He will start the final day at Wentworth two shots behind joint leaders Filippo Celli and Manuel Elvira.

A sensational 230-yard four-iron from McIlroy which rolled to within two feet of the hole gave him the eagle chance.

"It was a perfect number for me," he said.

"I could fight the wind with it a little bit to get to land soft. I stood up and made a good, committed swing. I felt I was either long or short all day today. It was nice to get a good number. Yeah, stayed up there, made my best swing of the day and obviously a great way to finish."

McIlroy stayed patient throughout the round, carding birdies on the par 5s - the fourth, 12th, and 17th - to go with that eagle on the par 5 18th. Bogeys on the eighth and ninth were blemishes on his card.

"I think it was a day where you really had to take advantage of the par 5s," he said.

"They were your scoring opportunities. The back nine for the most part played downwind, so there was maybe some other chances.

"But that front nine, I think especially by the time we teed off and some of the leaders, it was very, very difficult and very tricky to pick a club and commit to what you were doing. The wind was up-and-down; so hard to trust the wind was going to do what you thought it was going to do.

"I stayed as patient as I could and feel like that patience was rewarded over the last few holes. Good birdie on 12. And then I always feel like the end of this golf course gives you a chance to salvage maybe a tougher, frustrating day, and I was able to do that with playing those last two holes three-under."

RORY MCILORY COMES THIS CLOSE TO AN ALBATROSS AT THE 18TH 🦅#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/pdw3ABs4dq

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 19, 2026

McIlroy will tee off at 12:25pm on Sunday alongside Adam Scott. Shane Lowry finished Saturday on seven-under after shooting a three-under 69. 

Looking ahead to Sunday, McIlroy said: "Probably one of those days where you need to set a score for yourself or set a target for the front nine, and then as you enter the back nine, see where you stand and see what you need to do. 

"I'll probably try to not look at the leaderboards on the front nine, and if I need to play a little bit more aggressive on the back, I'll do it.

"I wouldn't say I'm a hundred per cent pleased with where everything is but it's certainly good enough. It's good enough to hit the shots when needed, and I maybe can't play quite as free-wheeling as I'm used to at times. 

"But I just think if I'm smart and make the right decisions, I know this golf course so well from over the years that if I just manage myself and my game, I'll have a chance."