McIlroy stays in hunt for first win since Masters

Third-round leaderboard for the Irish Open

-15 A Saddier (Fra), -14 A Hidalgo (Spa), -12 A Garcia-Heredia (Spa), -11 R McIlroy (NI), J Lagergren (Swe)

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Selected others: -7 T Hatton (Eng), class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>-6 S Lowry (Ire), -3 T McKibbin, + 1 P Reed (US)

Rory McIlroy shot 68 to stay on top of the final round of the K Club, which continued his quest for a second Irish Open title.

McIlroy, who is looking for his first win since the Masters in April, birdied four birdies to stay in line with France’s Adrien Saddier, who shot 68.

Angel Hidalgo, who hit 12 birdies in a stunning nine-under-63 to take the title, is in charge of the Italian Open title.

Spain’s Alfredo Garcia-Heredia shot a 67 to put McIlroy’s team three shots off the lead, but overnight leader Joakim Lagergren fell to four back with a 73.

McIlroy claimed frustration after failing to cover up more ground on the lead despite a second straight bogey-free round.

The world number two, Harry, said, “This is probably the most frustrating four-under par round of golf I’ve played in a while as I was walking off the 18th green.

“I had plenty of chances,” she said. At the end, it became sluggish. I believed that I had many chances and made some good putts that didn’t go in. had a nice one that, at 14, sort of sank

McIlroy made a first-round birdie move in the fourth and fifth, but he had to wait until the fourteenth when he sunk a 40-foot putt to add another shot.

The five-time major winner relying on his short game to maintain his card’s integrity before birdie in increasingly gusty conditions.

He admitted that “the wind caught me out a few times.”

You’re trying to take balls out of the air so they don’t spin as much because the greens are so soft, according to “I think what’s hard as well.” However, if the wind is dying, you are still getting the wind’s effect, so you are playing for wind, which is not really effective.

Hidalgo, 27, had no trouble making birdies at times, as the 27-year-old did so consecutively with seven in a row.

Hidalgo added four shots to his back nine’s first six holes after bogeying at the ninth hole.

After putting his second on the water, he struggled with his momentum and hit a double-bogey seven on the 16th, but he eventually held on with a par on 17. He went on to birdie four more shots.

In a play-off against two-time major winner Jon Rahm to claim his nation title last year, Hidalgo said, “I really felt for a few moments I was playing the PlayStation.”

“Every shot went straight to the pin,” he said. Like the 13 one I go over, the one I missed was straight to the pin.

“]I’m] so happy. I’m not going to lie; I’m actually very happy. You must remember the 16th, of course, but I did a few recoveries as well. The birdie on 18 was obviously crucial to a successful tomorrow, and the one on 17 was also significant.

Hidalgo’s stunning early birdie, however, appeared to be unaffected by Saddier, who managed to hold the 54-hole lead before putting himself in position to win a second DP World Tour title.