Monday 11 April 2016 00:42, UK
Rory McIlroy vowed to remain positive after failing to make a single birdie in his third-round 77 at the Masters which left him five shots behind leader Jordan Spieth.
McIlroy was just one behind the defending champion at the start of play but, after battling to the turn in 38, he bogeyed the 10th and double-bogeyed the next before managing to par in and stay at two over for the tournament.
He bogeyed the third after his approach from a fairway bunker spun back off the green, and he three-putted the seventh before two drives into the pines at 10 and 11, where he hacked his second into water, cost him three strokes.
The 26-year-old was gifted a way back into contention when Spieth finished bogey, double-bogey to slip to three under, and McIlroy will look to post a testing early target on Sunday.
"It was just one of those days," he said. "You have to try to forget about it and move on, but I'd be feeling a lot worse if I hadn't just seen what Jordan did on the last two holes. I can take a bit of heart from that, knowing I'm still in this golf tournament.
"Standing on the 17th tee I didn't feel I was, I was eight back. But it just shows how quickly things can happen on this golf course, especially in these conditions. The greens are firm and crusty, and if you miss on the wrong side you're making it very difficult for yourself.
"I just need to go out on Sunday and be aggressive, I've got nothing to lose. This was my bad day and hopefully I can go out there and make up for my lack of birdies today.
"I felt like I swung the club pretty well, just a couple of loose ones. The big turning point in my round was the seventh - I hit two great shots in there, thought I holed my putt for birdie, it goes six feet by and I miss the one coming back.
"I didn't feel anything was off, but I was sort of trying to play upstream. I tried to get something going and I just couldn't. I felt I righted the ship over the last seven holes, but I had a lot of chances coming in and didn't take any.
"I could have been here three off the lead instead of five but, at the same time, I am only five back and I have to stay positive about that. I know what can happen here on a Sunday, and anyone within five or six of the lead has a good shot."
