Rory McIlroy absolutely torched East Lake Golf Club today, firing off a thrilling 7-under 63 in Saturday’s third round of the 2026 Tour Championship. That incredible run has officially put his putter on full display and shaken up the entire leaderboard. McIlroy went from a solid round to straight-up contention, making a huge move on what they call “Moving Day.”
Putter on Fire!
Seriously, the guy carved up the course with his putter. He bagged an insane five birdies on his back nine and four on the front, putting together his best round of the week. That 7-under 63 even beat his previous best mark of the entire 2026 playoffs, which was a 6-under 64 back at the BMW Championship. Can you believe the only thing holding him back from tying the tournament low were a couple of par-3 bogeys at No. 2 and No. 11? Imagine what could have been!
Shaking Up Moving Day
McIlroy and his Round 3 playing partner, Si Woo Kim, were the fourth pairing off the tee, and Rory certainly set a tone. His birdie putt on the par-4 17th actually launched him into a five-way tie for the lead with Chris Gotterup, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Young, and Ryan Gerard. That was part of a stretch where he sank three consecutive birdie putts. He almost made it four straight on the 18th after a gorgeous scramble, but his attempt slid just right of the cup. That would have been only the second time he’d ever ended a round with four straight birdies, with the first being at the Masters earlier this year. As of 4:15 p.m. ET, McIlroy was in solo fourth at 10 under, and the clubhouse leader. But just as his round wrapped up, Gerard, Gotterup, and Hovland each gained a stroke, moving them to a co-lead at 11 under.
So, what’s next? The final round in Atlanta. With hundreds of thousands of dollars swinging on every single hole, it’s gonna be wild. Let’s see what Rory brings to the final push!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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