Rory McIlroy References Masters Miracle to Send Confident Message After PGA Championship Round 3

Rory McIlroy fought his way back into contention at the 2026 PGA Championship on Saturday, using another strong round at Aronimink Golf Club to move within striking distance heading into the final day.

The world No. 2 entered the week as one of the favorites after winning back-to-back Masters titles, but his chances appeared in trouble after an opening-round 74 left him tied for 105th place. Since then, McIlroy has steadily climbed the leaderboard with rounds of 67 and 66.

By the end of Round 3, McIlroy sat at 3-under overall and tied for seventh, three shots behind leader Alex Smalley. Jon Rahm, Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed were also among the contenders entering Sunday at Aronimink.

Despite still trailing multiple players, McIlroy made it clear after the round that he believes another major comeback is possible.

Rory McIlroy recalls Masters comeback after Round 3 surge

GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland

McIlroy referenced last year’s Masters during his post-round comments, pointing to how quickly momentum can shift during a major championship.

“I had a really bad finish on Thursday,” McIlroy said. “But at the end of the day, I was only seven back. I thought back to last year’s Masters. I was seven back after the first day, and I was two ahead going into the final day.”

McIlroy added: “There’s a lot of golf and a lot of things can happen during the course of a golf tournament. I’ve progressively just got a little bit closer to the lead each day.”

The Northern Irishman believed before the round that reaching 5-under for the tournament would likely put him near the top of the leaderboard.

“Honestly, I felt like if I went out and, yeah, I had a chance to do this,” McIlroy said. “If I had played the last three holes and one under instead of one over, I would have got to five.”

McIlroy briefly reached 4-under during the round after birdies on holes 11 and 13 pulled him into a share of the lead. But a bogey on the par-3 17th and missed opportunities late kept him three shots back entering Sunday.

Still, McIlroy remained encouraged by his position.

“I feel like I still did enough to think I have a chance going into tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve climbed my way out of that hole a little bit, which I’m proud of myself for doing that.”

McIlroy’s improvement over the first three rounds has been steady. After needing 34 putts during his opening 74, he used only 30 putts Friday and 27 on Saturday while continuing to sharpen his iron play and short game.

Alex Smalley leads crowded PGA Championship leaderboard

GettyAlex Smalley of the United States

While McIlroy surged Saturday morning, Alex Smalley finished the day atop a tightly packed leaderboard at 6-under overall.

The 29-year-old American secured his first career 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour and will enter Sunday with a two-shot advantage over a large group of challengers.

Matti Schmid, Nick Taylor, Jon Rahm, Aaron Rai, and Ludvig Åberg were among the players tied for second at 4-under.

McIlroy joined Schauffele, Patrick Reed, and Maverick McNealy at 3-under heading into the final round.

Rahm, already a Master’s and U.S. Open champion, remains in position to move one step closer to the career Grand Slam with a PGA Championship victory.

Saturday’s calmer weather conditions helped scoring improve significantly compared to the opening two rounds. McIlroy acknowledged that the softer setup and more favorable hole locations created more opportunities.

“Wind direction is a little bit different,” McIlroy said. “Some hole locations are a little more generous.”

He also admitted that changing conditions made aggressive driving more effective.

“The fairways are drying out,” McIlroy said. “If you can get the ball rolling on the fairways, it can go an awfully long way.”

McIlroy’s 66 included birdies at Nos. 1, 5, 6, 9, 11, and 13. One of the highlights came at the short par-4 sixth, where he drove the green before two-putting for birdie.

As the final round approaches, McIlroy will attempt to complete another major comeback and add a third PGA Championship title to his career resume.

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