 |
| Getty Images |
Rory McIlroy further underlined his status as the best player in the world after taking control of the Wells Fargo Championship with a stunning 11-under 61 in the third round.
McIlroy broke his own course record at Quail Hollow after a sensational display of shot-making backed up by another solid performance on the greens as he stormed to 18 under par, four clear of joint-overnight leader Webb Simpson.
The world No 1, who fired a closing 62 to claim his maiden PGA Tour title in this event in 2010, began with a pair of pars before igniting his challenge with birdies at the third and fifth holes.
But after a par at the sixth, he then put together a remarkable run of nine birdies in 10 holes to pull five clear of the field, and thoughts turned to the possibility of a magical 59 when he holed his 11th birdie putt of the day at 16.
However, the prospect of making three birdies over the Green Mile proved beyond him as his tee shot to the 180-yard 17th ignored instructions to draw in the air and settled 40 feet right of the target.
McIlroy safely two-putted for par, and he did well to scramble a par-four at the last after his drive finished barely a yard from the creek on the left of the fairway before his approach bounded past the pin and found the rear fringe.
However, his second consecutive bogey-free round was enough to earn McIlroy a commanding four-stroke advantage over Simpson, who stayed in touch with the runaway leader with birdies at five, seven and 13 before he drained a 20-foot putt for eagle at the 15th.
But Simpson's drive at the last found the creek on the left, although he limited the damage to a bogey-five with an excellent up-and-down from 60 feet as he signed for a 68.
Robert Streb, who shared the halfway lead with Simpson, endured an erratic day as five birdies and four bogeys added up to a 71 which left him seven behind McIlroy, while Brendan Steele (68) and Patrick Rodgers (70) are a further stroke adrift.
Justin Thomas had set the early clubhouse target at nine under after an entertaining 65 which included two eagles in three holes on the front nine, but Phil Mickelson failed to build on a bright start which raised the prospect of a final-day showdown with McIlroy.
The left-hander cruised to the turn in 32 and atoned for a bogey at 12 with a birdie at the 14th, but he carved his final drive into water and went on to run up an ugly triple-bogey seven which saw him plummet to eight under and out of the running.
