KUALA LUMPUR – A resurgent Rory McIlroy moved two shots clear of the chasing pack at the weather-hit Malaysian Open on Saturday as the Northern Irishman braced ahead of a marathon last day.
The 21-year-old holed an eight-foot birdie putt on the ninth in near darkness at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to move to 12-under for the championship before play was suspended. There had been a lengthy suspension earlier in the day because of the temperamental weather in the Malaysian capital.
Frenchman Gregory Bourdy charged into contention by negotiating 14 holes of his third round in six under to lie in joint second place on 10-under in the $2.5-million showpiece. Italian whiz kid Matteo Manassero was three under through nine holes to stay in the hunt along with joint overnight leader Alexander Noren of Sweden, who endured a topsy-turvy day as he played eight holes in one over.
The third round will resume at 7:40am on Sunday before the commencement of the final round, which will see the likes of McIlroy having to play a total of 27 holes. There will be no re-draw for the final round. “It’s a solid start,” said McIlroy, who is fighting to get his game back together after his spectacular collapse at the Masters. “I could have been two or three shots better off but it’s obviously nice to hole that putt right at the end on the ninth and finish on a positive note.”
“I’ve still got the lead but it is going to be a long day tomorrow,” said McIlroy.
