“Honorary Canadian” Rory McIlroy better after beautiful bounce-back Round

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

McIlroy shifted his game back into form at the Canadian Open as he put himself into contention with one day left to play.

After a lackluster 2-over 72 on Friday, Rory McIlroy used Moving Day to his advantage at the RBC Canadian Open.

The Northern Irishman shot an impressive 5-under 65 to sit at 7-under in the tournament. Once again, the Canadian fans showed their support and made him feel like one of their own.

“It’s incredible. I feel like an honorary Canadian, and the support I get here is amazing,” McIlroy said. “I keep saying it, but it's a pleasure to play in an atmosphere like that. The crowds are so good, they’re so supportive, so enthusiastic, looking forward to one more day of it.”

After a late range session on Friday, he explained that he felt much better about where his game was. The two-time Canadian Open winner said he felt out of sync but was able to fix those issues.

McIlroy went out in 30 strokes with an eagle and three birdies. On the back nine, he added two bogeys and two birdies to complete his day.

Birdie from the rough @McIlroyRory's brilliant approach from the rough sets up birdie to get within two shots of the lead @RBCCanadianOpen. pic.twitter.com/uroijKMNhc

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 1, 2024

“I got off to a pretty fast start, 3-under through 5 and 5-under through 9,” McIlroy said. “Wish I had made a couple more coming in, but overall, a good day’s work, and hopefully, it puts me within touching distance going into tomorrow.”

McIlroy shot seven strokes better than he did on Friday. After slow starts in the first two rounds, he finally started to see the ball go into the hole.

“To start like that and at least play the easier holes better, play 4 and 5 in 3-under was nice,” he said. “Yeah, it’s always nice to get momentum early in the round and try to keep it going.”

There are 18 holes left to play at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. As the leaders make their way through the course on Saturday evening, McIlroy will have some work to do on Sunday if he wants to win for the third time in four starts.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.