Masters champion Rory McIlroy accepts even his considerable talents may not be enough to reel in a six-shot gap to world number one Scottie Scheffler on the final day of The Open at Royal Portrush.
A third-round 66 lifted McIlroy to eight under par but he was always playing catch up to the American, whose 67 saw him extend his overnight lead to four - with the Holywood man a further two adrift.
McIlroy rode the wave of local support, enjoying the experience of having him here for all four days after he missed the cut in 2019, and in a feverish atmosphere there were times when it looked like he might produce something truly special.
Three birdies in his opening four holes would have had some considering whether, in their wildest dreams, he could replicate the 61 he shot here as a 16-year-old but a major championship is a different prospect and he just could not sustain the momentum.
"It was incredible, it was so much fun. I got off to the perfect start, three-under through four," said McIlroy, who described his opponent as "inevitable".
"To play those last seven holes at three-under I thought was a good effort. I played well, I rode my luck at times, but I feel like I've at least given myself half a chance tomorrow.
"But he’s playing like Scottie. I don’t think it’s a surprise. Everyone’s seen the way he’s played or plays over the last two or three years.
"He’s just so solid. He doesn’t make mistakes. He’s turned himself into a really consistent putter as well so there doesn’t seem to be any weakness there.
"Whenever you’re trying to chase down a guy like that, it’s hard to do. But he’s incredibly impressive."
The first four holes were vintage McIlroy, holing putts from 36 and 27 feet – for eagle – before a brilliant approach to seven feet at the fourth picked up another shot.
But his momentum stalled and a bizarre incident on the 11th when his shot from the rough dislodged a previously buried ball and resulted in a bogey.
However, the response was thrilling, holing a monster 56-foot eagle putt – his longest of the week – at the 12th which produced the loudest roar of the tournament with another birdie coming after hitting the flagstick at 15.
"The eagle on 12 was one of the coolest moments – it’s one of the largest roars I’ve ever heard on a golf course," added McIlroy.
"What happened on 11, my ball came out so strange. I thought I was going to get a flier and I looked up at my ball and I could see it spinning up against the wind.
"I obviously had no idea there was a ball anywhere close to my ball. It’s never happened to me before."
To take his mind off Scheffler, McIlroy will return to the three-hour epic Oppenheimer on Saturday night.
"I started Oppenheimer last night and I’ll try to get through another hour of it tonight and maybe finish it tomorrow morning," he added.
"Apart from that, just keep my mind off of things. I always do better with distraction so if I can just distract myself and get my mind on something else that’s always a good plan for me."
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a man who didn't drop a shot and takes a four-shot lead into Sunday, three-time major champion Scheffler (above) said: "I feel good. I had another good day today. I made a couple nice par saves. I had a really good par save on 11, really good par save on 14 and I did some good stuff.
"I was pretty patient most of the day but felt like I was hitting it really nice. Just sometimes major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few."
Holding on for victory would take the 29-year-old to within a US Open win of the career grand slam, which McIlroy completed at the Masters in April at the 11th attempt.
"It would be nice, but I'm not going to be thinking about that tonight," said Scheffler.
"I'm going to be going home, trying to get some rest and get some recovery and then get ready for tomorrow.
"I like being out here competing. This is why we work so hard, is to have opportunities like this, and I'm excited for the challenge of tomorrow.
"Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position.
"Going into tomorrow, I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. There's not really too much else going on."
