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McIlroy continues Open summit bid, Spieth still leads

McIlroy continues Open summit bid, Spieth still leads

McIlroy continues Open summit bid, Spieth still leads

Rory McIlroy moved to within three shots of leader Jordan Spieth through the first five holes of his third round at The Open on Saturday.

The four-time major winner continued his remarkable recovery at Royal Birkdale, where he was five over after the first six holes on Thursday.

On a day when Branden Grace shot the first 62 at a major, plenty of other players took advantage of favourable weather conditions to make gains.

McIlroy signalled his intent with a birdie at the first and picked up another two at the fourth and fifth to climb into strong contention for a second Claret Jug.

It moved him to four under, along with history-maker Grace and U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, while Spieth got to seven under courtesy of a tap-in birdie at three, leaving him one stroke ahead of Matt Kuchar.

World number one Dustin Johnson signed for a 64, meaning he sat level with reigning champion Henrik Stenson on three under.