Rory McIlroy in contention as Adrien Saddier leads Irish Open after third round

By PA Sport Staff

Angel Hidalgo provided the fireworks and Rory McIlroy was firmly in contention as Adrien Saddier took a third-round lead at the Amgen Irish Open.

Northern Irish star McIlroy, chasing a second victory in his home open at The K Club, shot a bogey-free 68 to leave him tied for fourth place on 11 under par.

Ahead of him are Saddier, who also shot 68 to reach 15 under, Hidalgo and McIlroy’s playing partner Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, who outperformed the world number two by one stroke with two eagles in a 67 to reach 12 under.

The round of the day, though, belonged to Hidalgo who carved up the front nine with seven successive birdies and made 12 in all – equalling the European Tour record – in a stunning 63 despite a double bogey at the 16th.

McIlroy’s four birdies made for a subdued round by comparison and after ending the day level with second-round leader Joakim Lagergren, he said: “As I was walking off the 18th green, I said to Harry (Diamond, caddie) this is probably the most frustrating four-under-par round of golf I’ve played in a while.

“I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances, hit some good putts that didn’t go in. Had a nice one that dropped at 14. I feel like I could be a couple of shots better, but overall still in a decent position going into tomorrow.

“If I can get off to a fast start tomorrow and put a little bit of pressure on the guys behind (on the course), hopefully I’ll be at the back nine in contention.”

Hidalgo said of his breathtaking front nine: “I really felt for a few moments I was playing on the Playstation, to be honest. Every single shot was directly to the pin.

“I was feeling since the shot on hole number three – I hit a perfect shot (to 18 inches off the tee) – I felt like, okay, I’m feeling like in control with the swing. I feel smooth. I said to my caddie, ‘okay, it’s a moment to throw the coin and see if we can go really low’.”

Saddier, who led after two rounds of last week’s European Masters before fading over the weekend, said: “There is still 18 holes to play, so a lot of things can happen. As I said yesterday, I crushed myself last weekend.

“I have a good chance. I was with my team on Monday, and I’m focused on tomorrow and what I have to do and what I can control. We’ll see what happens.”