Golf: Rory McIlroy races into the lead as he nears top spot

RORY McIlroy holds a two-stroke lead as he heads into the round which could see him crowned world number one for the first time.

The 22-year-old Northern Irishman’s joint best-of-the-day 66 at the Honda Classic in Florida today took him to 11 under par – and his two closest challengers entering the final day are players ranked 269th and 216th.

They are Americans Tom Gillis and Harris English, the former a 43-year-old self-confessed journeyman and the other a 22-year-old rookie professional.

England’s Justin Rose had shared the halfway lead with Gillis, but had to scramble for all he was worth for a one-over 71 that left him in joint fourth place and four behind.

McIlroy said: “This is where I want to be. This is why I play golf, to put myself in contention to win tournaments and try to become the best player in the world.”

McIlroy has to win to dethrone Luke Donald at the top of the rankings, just as he did going into last week’s Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson.

He made it all the way through to the final there, but then lost to American Ryder Cup player Hunter Mahan.

Asked if he had learnt anything from last week he stated: “It’s a different format and the approach is slightly different.

“I didn’t have as much time to think about it there because I went straight from the semi-final into the final.

“I’ve just got to try to approach it like any other tournament.”

McIlroy had a hat-trick of birdies starting on the long third, two-putting there and then holing from 22 and ten feet. He was two clear at that point, but promptly bogeyed the next two.

That gave Gillis the lead again and he stayed there with a remarkable run around the turn.

On the eighth he took a shoe and sock off and rolled up his trouser leg to play his ball out of the edge of the water and holed from 33 feet for par. He followed that with a 28-footer for another par, birdied the 10th from five feet and then rescued a further par on the next.

McIlroy had birdied the 11th from 45 feet after his approach from the rough only just carried the lake and a glorious nine-iron to five feet at the 15th led to him regaining top spot on his own when Gillis failed to get up and down from sand.

Bunkered in two at the par five last, McIlroy splashed out 12 feet past the flag, but made it to complete another fine day’s work.