PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland - Rory McIlroy and the thousands of Northern Irish fans at Royal Portrush did their best to will him back into contention Saturday as McIlroy birdied three of the first four holes and posted a round of 66 to head into Sunday in a tie for fourth place and six shots back of Scottie Scheffler.
"It was incredible. It was so much fun," he said. "Just an absolute pleasure to play in front of my home crowd, my fans, and yeah, I've really obviously tried my best. I feel like I've at least given myself half a chance tomorrow.