Rory McIlroy flips Tour Championship disaster into comeback masterpiece

Rory McIlroy needed one round to turn a Tour Championship rescue mission into a genuine chase for $10 million.

After opening with rounds of 68 and 69 at East Lake, McIlroy responded Saturday with a 7-under 63—his lowest score of the FedEx Cup playoffs and best round of the week.

The timing could hardly have been better. One day after a double-bogey disaster damaged his title bid, McIlroy replaced frustration with a nine-birdie barrage.

He made four birdies on the front nine and five more after the turn. Bogeys on the par-3 second and 11th kept him from matching the tournament low, but neither mistake disrupted him for long.

His most important stretch came late.

McIlroy rolled in consecutive birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 before producing another at the 431-yard, par-4 17th. He drove 303 yards into the left side of the fairway, striped his 126-yard approach into birdie range and converted the putt.

The birdie extended his streak to three consecutive holes and moved him into a crowded tie near the top of the Tour Championship leaderboard.

McIlroy nearly added a fourth at the par-5 18th despite missing the fairway with his tee shot. He recovered to create another opportunity, but his birdie attempt slid just right of the cup.

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The closing par left McIlroy at 10 under and made him the clubhouse leader when he signed his card. Ryan Gerard, Chris Gotterup and Viktor Hovland were one stroke ahead at 11 under while the later groups remained on the course.

The three-time FedEx Cup champion will now enter Sunday with another opportunity to win the season finale. McIlroy has already defended his Masters title this year, but his playoff run had lacked a defining performance.

He finally produced it Saturday.

Now the field must determine whether McIlroy’s 63 was merely a spectacular charge—or the beginning of another East Lake comeback.