Rory McIlroy makes Scottie Scheffler comparison as he looks to play catch up in Irish Open final round

McIlroy is chasing a second Irish Open crown at The K Club and shot a superb third round 68, but he is now four shots behind leader Adrien Saddier

Rory McIlroy has humorously compared his performance to that of Scottie Scheffler as he aims for a strong final round at the Amgen Irish Open.

Despite battling against the winds at the K Club, McIlroy managed to score 68 on moving day – marking his second consecutive round without a bogey – keeping him in the running for a second Irish Open title with an 11 under par.

However, the Masters champion still has a significant challenge ahead to catch up with tournament leader Adrien Saddier, who is currently on 15 under. Angel Hidalgo’s impressive ‘playstation’ 62 also threatens Darren Clarke’s tournament record, placing him just one shot behind the Frenchman.

“I feel like Scottie Scheffler,” quipped 2016 Irish Open champ McIlroy, his American rival’s remarkable consistency. “I haven’t really put myself in too many positions where it looked like I was making a bogey.

“I’ve holed out well, I’ve putted well from inside six feet this week, but it just seems like anything outside of that where I’ve given myself birdie chances, I’ve sort of hit the edge of the hole quite a few times and been a little bit frustrated with that.

“It got gusty at the end. I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances, hit some good putts that didn’t go in. I feel like all day I was just trying to keep myself in close position to the leads. I feel like I could be a couple of shots better, but overall still in a decent position going into tomorrow.”

McIlroy led heading into the Irish Open final round at Royal County Down last year, only to lose to Rasmus Hojgaard – who had started three shots down on the Holywood star.

This time it is McIlroy who is playing catch-up and he declared: “I just need to see a couple of putts drop early on. I gave myself chances early on and didn’t quite convert.

“If I can get off to a fast start tomorrow and put a little bit of pressure on the guys behind, hopefully I’ll be at the back nine in contention.”

If that happens then the sold-out Straffan venue could be in for a blockbuster climax. “Yeah, just amazing, amazing crowds. I’m expecting more of the same tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to that.”