Rory McIlroy pulled himself back into contention at the BMW Championship in St Louis with a strong five-under-par third round on Saturday.
The world No 2 finished the day at 12 under par to stay within touching distance of leader Wyndham Clark, whose strong back nine pushed him clear at the top of the leaderboard at 17 under.
McIlroy has been searching for a response after laboring to an eight-over-par finish at last week's St Jude Championship in Memphis. He opened his week in Missouri with a six-under-par round to take a share of the lead before posting a 69 on Friday.
Birdie streak on the back nine
The back-to-back Masters champion displayed steady form across the front nine on Saturday. He reached the turn at one under par following an early birdie on the par-three second hole, before adding another birdie on the 11th.
McIlroy then stepped up his scoring on the back nine with a burst of four birdies starting from the 13th hole, with his momentum briefly interrupted by a single bogey on the 14th.
His round concluded with drama on the 18th hole after landing in bunkers with both his opening tee shot and his second shot. The Northern Irishman responded with a fine recovery effort that nearly chipped in before he safely converted his par putt.
Chasing pack and leaderboard standings
McIlroy shares second place at 12 under par alongside Patrick Cantlay. Gary Woodland and Chris Gotterup remain in close pursuit, sitting one stroke further back at 11 under par.
JJ Spaun saw his tournament challenge fade fast during the third round after dropping down the leaderboard to two over par.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler sits in a group at five under par after shooting a third-round 68. Scheffler, who coasted to an impressive victory at the St Jude Championship in Memphis last week, had struggled early in St Louis with a first-round 72 that left him at two over par.
Playoff context and final round schedule
The BMW Championship is being hosted at Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country, near St Louis. As the second event in the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs, the tournament features the tour's top performers competing for a place in the season finale.
McIlroy, a four-time major winner who has spent multiple periods as the top-ranked golfer in the world, is seeking to capture another PGA Tour victory after his recent major championship success.
Live coverage of the final round of the BMW Championship concludes on Sunday, starting from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf and 7.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event, with streaming available through NOW.
