Golf:Rory McIlroy dipped back under par after a blistering finish to his third round of the Egyptian Open but is still seemingly too far off the lead to have any chance of winning.
The world number nine made four birdies in his final six holes in a round of 69 to get to two under par 214 heading into the final round. He is joined on the same mark by Athlone's Colm Moriarty, who carded a level par 72.
Despite struggling with ongoing swing changes, McIlroy eventually saw light at the end of the tunnel at the JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club outside Cairo.
Having reached the turn in level par - two birdies against two bogeys – he dropped another shot at the 12th and it looked as though the Ryder Cup star would lose further ground but he rallied in the closing stages.
“I started hitting a few good shots on the driving range which is always nice to see and managed to take it out on to the golf course,” said McIlroy, who feels his game is still a work in progress at present.
“I started quite nicely, had a bit of a dodgy middle spell and then finished strongly with four birdies in the last six holes so it’s definitely a lot better today.
“I am usually pretty quick with swing changes and stuff but it takes everyone at least a little while to get comfortable with it and I’m still trying to get comfortable with what I am trying to do.
“It feels a lot better. Today I focused more on the target, had a pre-shot rehearsal of what I was trying to do then I tried the swing and it seemed to work pretty well.
“When you see the ball start off on line and you hit a few good shots it certainly helps your confidence. I still hit a few loose shots out there but it is certainly moving in the right direction, which is a good thing,” added the 21-year-old, who is 10 shots off the pace set by Scotland's George Murray.
Murray's birdie, birdie, eagle finish – after 15 straight pars - was just as impressive as McIlroy's as he signed for a four under 68 to lead on 12 under 204. The Scot holds a one shot advantage over Italy's Alessandro Tadini (69) and Floris de Vries from the Netherlands, who shot a best of the day 65.
Murray is ninth on the Challenge Tour rankings and the €29,000 winner's cheque would go some way to helping the 27-year-old secure his playing rights to the main tour.
The top 45 players on the Challenge Tour standings will tee it up in the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final in Italy next week. Moriarty (46th in the standings) is one such player hoping he can make it to Italy then force his way into the top 20 who will earn their main European Tour cards for next season.