A birdie on the 18th completed a flawless 65 for McIlroy as he moved within one shot of the lead at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The Northern Irishman got his round going in style with an eagle at the fourth hole and kept the momentum of the round going around the turn with birdies at eight, 11 and 12. A fortunate bounce off the trees on the 17th back to the fairway helped him make birdie there and an up-and-down from the edge of the green at the last completed the round.
He will start the final round of the shortened 54-hole tournament one stroke behind leaders Søren Kjeldsen and Viktor Hovland, who shot 64 and 68s respectively.
Asked what it would mean to win in the circumstances, McIlroy said: “I have won 10 per cent of the tournaments I’ve entered as a professional so every win is a big one.
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“But with everything that’s going on around our game and everything that’s happened over the last couple of days it would certainly be up there as one of the most memorable.
“You know once I had that great finish in the States, I wanted to turn my attention here and win the Race to Dubai. You know, it would be great to win it for the fourth time, and I didn’t want to let up.
“I think if I can play well from now until the end of the year, I keep that momentum I’ve built going into 2023. I’ve got a great chance tomorrow.”
Shane Lowry followed up an opening of 66 with a four-under-par 68 on Saturday, with the Irishman yet to drop a shot in the tournament. Lowry also took advantage of the closing par fives, birdieing them both and also the second and 12th holes.
Alongside McIlroy at 11-under is Thomas Detry and Rafa Cabrero-Bello, who both shot 65s. Francesco Molinari and Matthew Jordan are tied sixth with Lowry at 10 under.
US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick moved with four shots of the lead with a long eagle putt at 18.
