Saturday 2 November 2019 09:59, UK
Rory McIlroy will draw on memories from his win in Canada earlier this year as he takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
McIlroy fired a third consecutive 67 and enjoyed his first bogey-free round of the week as he hit the front on 15 under par, with Louis Oosthuizen leading the chase ahead of defending champion Xander Schauffele and halfway leader Matt Fitzpatrick.
Despite making five birdies on the third day at Sheshan International, McIlroy believes he missed a few chances to have opened up a more commanding lead heading into the final day, but he vowed to be aggressive over the last 18 holes of the World Golf Championship season.
McIlroy was tied for the lead after 54 holes of the Canadian Open in June before closing with a spectacular 61 which swept him to a seven-shot victory, and he is likely to employ the same tactics on Sunday in Shanghai.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
"I probably played the best today that I've played all week," said McIlroy, who is looking to become the third player after Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson to win three different WGC events. "I drove the ball well, and I'm hitting my irons pretty good for the most part.
"I feel like I didn't quite get as much out of the round as I could have but I'm not going to complain. I'm in the lead going into tomorrow, so just need to rest up and try to get out there and play another good, solid round of golf.
"I keep saying, I think my consistency this year, I've been able to take that to another level to what I've been able to do previously. Right now, the game feels pretty simple. I know that it's not going to feel like that all the time, but when it does, you have to take advantage of that feeling.
"I've given myself another opportunity to win a very big golf tournament, a tournament that I've never won before. I want to go out there and be committed, play aggressively, and shoot a good number. I took a lot from the win in Canada earlier this year.
"I went out tied for the lead, and I just said from the start that I was going to keep my foot down and go for everything. It was a good lesson that when you do have something right there, in front of you, a tournament to win or something to achieve, you just have to grab it with both hands, and that's what I'll do tomorrow."
