PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Rory McIlroy and the thousands of Northern Irish fans at Royal Portrush did their best to will him back into contention Saturday as McIlroy birdied three of the first four holes. He posted a round of 66 to head into Sunday in a tie for fourth place and six shots back of Scottie Scheffler.
"It was incredible. It was so much fun," he said. "Just an absolute pleasure to play in front of my home crowd, my fans, and yeah, I've really obviously tried my best. I feel like I've at least given myself half a chance tomorrow."
Through it all, McIlroy had one of the most unique rounds in recent memory. He began the day seven shots behind Scheffler but made up ground quickly. He made a 36-footer for birdie on the first hole, tapped in for a short birdie on the par-5 2nd hole and drained a 7-footer for another birdie on the fourth.
"It was a dream start," McIlroy said.
The excitement surrounding McIlroy was palpable throughout the grounds as the galleries chanted his name and hung on his every shot. After the hot start, however, McIlroy stalled, making five straight pars to end his front nine.
"To not birdie [5 and 7] is a little disappointing," said McIlroy.
On the back nine, his round took on a different tune. He bogeyed 11 after an approach shot that he called one of the "strangest" moments he's ever had. As McIlroy went to hit his ball out of the rough, another ball popped up from below the surface. A dumbfounded McIlroy picked it up and laughed. He couldn't believe it.
"My ball came out so strange, like I thought I was going to get a flier," he said. "And I looked up at my ball, and I could see it spinning up against the wind. I had obviously no idea there was a ball anywhere close to my ball."
The lost shot on 11 was quickly erased. On the par-5 12th, McIlroy stared down an unlikely 56-foot eagle putt from the back of the green. When the ball slowly tipped into the cup after a long buildup of anticipation, McIlroy fist-pumped and what felt like all of Northern Ireland roared.
"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 eagle appeared to give McIlroy his momentum back. He added another impressive birdie -- this time from the rough -- on 15 after his approach stopped less than four feet from the flag stick.
After a crucial up-and-down on the long par-3 16th, McIlroy's tee shot on 17 went into the gallery, where a fan picked it up. Once he replaced the ball, McIlroy was able to make par on 17 and finish with another par on18 to land at 8-under. That mark is still six shots behind Scheffler, who shot 67 and increased his 36-hole lead to four shots heading into Sunday.
"There doesn't seem to be any weakness there," McIlroy said of Scheffler. "Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do."
On the final day at Royal Portrush, McIlroy will try to do the seemingly impossible: track down the best player in the world and beat him. He won't be alone.
"If I can get out tomorrow and get off to a similar start to what I did today, get the crowd going," McIlroy said. "You never know."