McIlroy takes three-shot lead at Doral

MIAMI: Rory McIlroy again benefitted from his new setting grip as he overhauled halfway chief Adam Scott to move 3 strokes clear after the third spherical of the WGC-Cadillac Championship right here on Saturday.

 Photographs at the back of Scott overnight, the Northern Irish world number 3 racked up 4 birdies in a flawless show to card a 4-underneath-par 68 at the difficult Blue Monster direction at Trump country wide Doral lodge.

McIlroy, in search of his first victory because the european tour’s season-ending DP international excursion Championship in overdue November, parred the closing 3 holes at the brutal last stretch to put up a 12-beneath total of 204.

“I just played a simply solid round of golfing,” he told golfing Channel upon getting up and down from a greenside bunker to shop par at the remaining.

“I didn’t make any mistakes, no bogeys, that's what I’ve been trying to do. I holed a number of true putts and gave myself a variety of (birdie) looks and experience sincerely appropriate approximately it. I just need to do extra of the equal the next day.” brought McIlroy, who is looking for his 12th PGA tour win.

Australian Scott, winner of the Honda traditional final week, bogeyed two of the last six holes at the manner to a seventy three and a share of second at 9-below with lengthy-hitting American Dustin Johnson (71).

Two beforehand of the chasing % overnight, Scott bogeyed the par-3 fourth after missing the inexperienced off the tee to fall returned right into a tie for the lead with McIlroy, who picked up a shot at the outlet hole.

McIlroy sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the 5th to side a stroke in the front earlier than doubling his lead while he tired a sixteen-footer at the par-five 10th.

The Northern Irishman, using a deft short game, parred the final eight holes to preserve his grip on the event.

“It feels actually good,” McIlroy said of his trade this week from a conventional setting grip to left-hand low, following a missed reduce at the Honda conventional.

“I experience really comfy over it and you could see through the manner i have been placing that i've been holing a variety of the putts that I ought to hole to keep the spherical going.”

“It’s so satisfactory to hollow a putt like that at the remaining simply to give myself that little bit of a cushion going into tomorrow,” he stated.