Padraig Harrington said on Saturday that Rory McIlroy, not Tiger Woods, could be the one to break the Jack Nicklaus all-time majors record.
"If you’re going to talk about someone challenging Jack’s record," the three-time major champion said, “He’s your man.”
"When you are winning majors at 22, with his talent, and he’s got 20-something more years to play majors, and another 100 majors in him, I would give him a great chance to catch Jack.”
It’s a nice sentiment, and it may not prove far wrong, but Harrington’s not doing McIlroy any favors by talking him up so big with a round still left to go in the 111th US Open at Congressional Country Club.
The kid’s yet to win his first major, much less closing in on 18.
When he heard what his Irish friend had said — and Harrington was only one of a number of players who are equating McIlroy with the game’s greats — the young Northern Irishman shook his head and smiled.
“Oh, Paddy, Paddy, Paddy . . . ” he said.
For McIlroy knows only too well what happened the last time he got ahead of himself. He bled 80 strokes on Masters Sunday in April after having a four-shot lead going into the final round.
From his smart play in the third round to his calm demeanor after it, it’s clear that he’s determined not to make the same mistake again.
“You know, I'm still looking for my first one. That's all I can say,” he said in response to the kudos from his peers.
“I've put myself in a great position to do that tomorrow, and then we'll see what happens from there.
“It's nice to have all these complimentary things said about you, but until you actually do these things, they don't mean anything.”
Saturday’s round of 3-under-par 68 went a long way toward securing that elusive first major. It wasn’t as spectacular as the opening two rounds (65-66), but neither did it need to be.
In a sense it may have even been better, because it was the performance he needed to show himself that he can handle the pressure of a big lead at a major.
Having started the day six shots ahead of Y.E. Yang, he finished Saturday with an eight-shot lead.
Mission accomplished.
It’s going to be hard to cough this one up.
“I wanted to catch up a little bit,” said Yang, who took down Woods in the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship.
“But at the same time, the player with the better shots, with the better putts, with the better composure is leading right now.
“So I have no regrets. Right now the better player is leading.
“I think it's actually a race for second place right now.
“I'll try and catch up with Rory as much as possible, as much as I can. But if he doesn't let go, it's going to be a race for second place.”
Not that it was all smooth sailing for McIlroy on Saturday. He hit his first putt of the day too hard, then stroked the three-footer coming back in, and on the third was forced to pitch out of the rough after a wayward drive.
But from 98 yards he hit a precise wedge to two feet and saved par. On the next he saved par out of a greenside bunker, too.
These saves were crucial and it was palpable how much confidence he took form them.
When he did finally drop a shot — his 7-iron into the par-3 10th never left the flag but was too strong, finding the back bunker, leading to a bogey — he bounced right back.
McIlroy birdied the 11th, the toughest hole on the course and, if we’re talking about similarities to Woods, then let go with a fist pump.
From then on, he cruised home, leaving more records in his wake.
Speaking of records, Saturday was notable, too, for another record being smashed: most rounds under par (26) in a third round at a US Open.
And that leads to the only blemish in what McIlroy’s achieved through three days.
Though it’s certainly no fault of his, this is no US Open.
