Plenty of players would probably buckle at the knees when faced with the challenge of going toe-to-toe with Rory McIlroy down the stretch on a Sunday.
But not Tommy Fleetwood. As he and McIlroy get set to joust in the final round of the Genesis Scottish Open, Fleetwood believes it could be a source of inspiration.
McIlroy continues to lead the way on 13-under par after carding a 67 on Friday at The Renaissance, with South Korea’s Tom Kim a shot off the pace.
But it’s a red-hot Fleetwood who looks like he might well be the biggest danger. Poised on 11-under, he propelled himself into contention after yet another scintillating 63.
The Englishman shot the same score in the final round of the US Open last month, the second time he has done so in a major, only to come up short in the end.
Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to surge to the top of the Scottish Open leaderboard on Sunday
Fellow Ryder Cup star Rory McIlroy currently maintains a one-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard
But he’s determined to go one better here in East Lothian – and would love to trade blows with his friend and Ryder Cup team-mate McIlroy.
Particularly with fellow European star Shane Lowry also very much in the hunt on 10-under, Fleetwood insists it would be quite a spectacle if the Ryder Cup trio start firing birdies at each other.
‘Yeah, it would be nice. It’s great that we’re all playing well,’ said Fleetwood, who will play alongside McIlroy and Kim in the final group, with tee times once again brought forward.
‘I would like to think that we all push each other on to try and be better. I’m always happy to see those guys do well.
‘It will be great for us to play together and compete in the final round of a tournament like this.
‘For European golf as a whole, it’s great when so many of the guys are doing well.’
If Saturday is supposed to be moving day, then Fleetwood made one hell of a surge up the leaderboard.
He was level par when he stood on the ninth tee on Friday afternoon, so is essentially 11-under par for his last 28 holes.
Fleetwood shot a terrific -7 round on Saturday
It is perhaps no surprise that he has stormed into contention. Having grown up in Southport, he honed his craft on the likes of Hillside, West Lancs and Birkdale.
The 32-year-old thrives on links courses and also has some unfinished business with the Scottish Open, having tied for fourth last year and lost out in a play-off in 2020.
‘On Friday, I was level par for the tournament with 10 holes to play – at that point the first port of call is to make the weekend,’ said Fleetwood.
‘But I played really well from there on in and then today got a bit of momentum going, especially with a fast start [birdies at first two holes after starting at 10th].
‘It was just one of those days where things go more your way than others and I drove it better than I did on Friday.
‘I’ve played this course well in the past few years, so hopefully I can continue that on Sunday.’
This should be excellent preparation for Fleetwood as he gets set to tee it up at Hoylake next week, a course he knows well.
He added: ‘It’s a home Open for me, the north-west is where I’m from, so it means a lot. It’s got a lot of sentiment for me.
‘I’m excited to play in front of the crowds, whenever the Open comes around I’m so excited to play.
‘Hoylake’s had some good winners throughout the years, so it would be great to add yourself to that list.
McIlroy will have to hold off the charge of several Scottish Open hopefuls on Sunday
Fleetwood carded eight birdies and dropped just one shot on his way to a 63 round
‘It’s going to be a great test I think. But obviously I’m looking forward to Sunday first and foremost and trying to win the Scottish Open.’
Fleetwood carded eight birdies and just the one dropped shot on his way to a 63, which ended up the lowest round of the day.
But McIlroy remains the man they are all trying to catch. He was fairly unflustered yesterday on his way to a 67.
It was only towards the end of the round when he looked in any way uncertain, dropping two shots on his back nine.
There is a sense that McIlroy might well be playing within himself. Despite the fact he leads the field, he hasn’t yet hit top form.
That could well be fairly ominous looking ahead to next week’s Open Championship at Hoylake.
Despite leading the field at The Renaissance Club, there is a belief that McIlroy hasn’t yet hit top form
Former Scottish Open champion Shane Lowry is also well positioned to challenge for the title
‘It was another really good round of golf,’ said the Northern Irishman. ‘Very solid.
‘I feel like I’ve left a few out there over the last couple of days, but at the same time, at least the last few holes, it was quite tricky conditions
‘I played well. It’s been a good three days and looking forward to obviously being in the final group on Sunday and seeing how my game holds up under that sort of pressure.’
Lowry was another man who made a positive stride up the leaderboard on Friday.
Lowry carded a 65 on Saturday to move on to 10-under at the Scottish Open
The former Open champion carded a 65 to move on to 10-under, where he is joined by World No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Lowry feels he is now back in the links groove after hitting some ‘weird’ shots earlier in the week as he tried to adjust.
‘Living over in the States nowadays, it even takes like me like a while to get back playing here,’ he said.
‘I felt Thursday I was a bit rusty with it all, and I hit some really weird shots that I would never hit in a links tournament.
South Korea’s Tom Kim currently sits second in the standings just one shot behind McIlroy
‘So I’m playing my way nicely into the week. I had two nice rounds the last two days and I’m in a nice position going into the final round.
‘We have got some strong winds forecast, so it will be interesting to to see what happens.’
Like they did yesterday, tournament organisers have moved the tee times forward to the morning in the hope of avoiding the worst of the weather.
It worked out well but the forecast for the final round looks somewhat more grim. It might be up to McIlroy, Fleetwood and Lowry to light it up with some low scoring as they go hunting the trophy.
