Rory McIlroy, Wife Erica Made Big Change Before Open Championship

Rory McIlroy entered the third round of the Open Championship trailing leader Scottie Scheffler by seven shots.

After the first four holes of his round, though, the Northern Irishman sat just four shots back and looked to be on his way to a miraculous round of golf. McIlroy, who completed the grand slam by winning the Masters earlier this year, stalled a bit before eventually closing strong en route to a 5-under, 66 to finish his third round at 8-under.

His round reached a fever pitch when he holed a 56-foot eagle put on No. 12, which resulted in the loudest roar of the day from the crowd at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

"The roar when this ball was in was insane. It was insane all day, but the noise after that putt went in was incredible," McIlroy said. "That was a really cool moment ... could be one of the coolest moments I've ever had on a golf course."

The only problem for McIlroy is that Scheffler shot a bogey-free 67 on Saturday, July 19 to take a four-shot lead - six shots better than McIlroy - into the final round.

"Scottie Scheffler is -- it's inevitable," McIlroy said. "Even when he doesn't have his best stuff. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes...There doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do."

As he attempts to pull off an epic comeback, McIlroy recently revealed he wife Erica and daughter Poppy enjoyed some time on their new home.

"We came back a few weeks ago and moved into our new home in Wentworth and have been trying to settle in. It's amazing what two weeks of a bit of detachment can do for you," he revealed ahead of the Scottish Open. "Sitting there being with your own thoughts for a while. Yeah, it's been nice to have this time to reflect and also to rekindle my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the year. Obviously we have this week in Scotland and then a massive week next week in Portrush."

In May, McIlroy revealed that home, which sits on a plot of land purchased back in 2023, is the family's new "base" of operations. He previously said it was "fun to see" their new home during the visit after the Masters, and although they "could have stayed in it," he and Stoll "wanted to get over to Holywood," the town in Northern Ireland where he's from.

McIlroy will tee off at 9:20 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 20 in the final round of the Open Championship.

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