Rory McIlroy was in confident mood as he prepared to take an eight shot lead into the final round of the US Open Championship.
The 22 year old had dinner with stablemate Lee Westwood last night – but didn’t seek any advice from the World Number Two, who will not have given up hope of overhauling a nine shot deficit.
And he enjoyed breakfast with his father Gerry before travelling to Congressional Country Club where the World Number Eight will look to complete the job and win his first Major.
“I’m feeling good, I’m in a great position heading into today and just need to keep doing the things I’ve been doing all week – giving myself little targets, not worrying about what’s going on around me,” said McIlroy. “If I can do that then hopefully everything will work out okay.”
Asked what those little targets might be, he added: “Just a small little thought for three holes at a time, breaking the round into different little segments, giving yourself just a target for three holes. Basically to keep myself from thinking about what’s going on on the leaderboard or anything else that might make me lose concentration.
“I can’t get complacent, I need to go out there and keep pressing and just try and play some good golf like I have done the first three days.
“I’ve got a target in my mind of what I want to do and as long as I do that then everything will be fine.”
McIlroy’s playing partner for the second day running was Korean Y E Yang, who was joined in second by Westwood when the Englishman birdied the first with a wedge to three feet.
McIlroy settled any nerves with a perfect three wood off the tee at the opening hole which found the right of the fairway.
And his approach was even better, knocking a wedge to ten feet and leaving himself a very makeable birdie putt.
After watching Yang’s putt on a similar line, McIlroy knocked in his first putt of the day and was already nine clear.
Yang and Westwood were still his nearest challengers on six under, while American Steve Stricker holed a tremendous putt on the difficult tenth to join Swede Fredrik Jacobson and Australian Jason Day on five under.
