NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Rory McIlroy was quoting Aaron Eckhart, the actor who portrays Harvey Dent in the Batman film, “The Dark Knight.” McIlroy described the 2008 picture as one of his “go-to” movies to take his mind off golf.
“It’s my favorite line from the movie,” McIlroy said.
Does that somehow describe himself?
“Sometimes,” he said with a laugh.
Aronimink Golf Club is roughly 140 miles from Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., where last fall McIlroy was very much the villain during the 45th Ryder Cup as he led Europe to a rare road victory over the United States. But near Philadelphia, the acclaimed City of Brotherly Love, McIlroy once again is more of a hero, his popularity transcending nationality, his talent something to be appreciated and not reviled.
During the third round of the 2026 PGA Championship, as a multitude of players swarmed the leaderboard with unsatiated aggression, McIlroy loomed large and with conspicuous approval by a fan base that is not easily impressed, let alone won over.
With a four-under 66, the reigning two-time Masters champion has clawed his way into contention in the year’s second major championship. For a short while he held a share of the lead—then again, who didn’t?—but a bogey from a plugged bunker lie at the par-3 17th dropped him back to three-under 207. He didn’t quite reach the goal he set for himself, but considering how he began this tournament, a third PGA title and the second leg of the calendar grand slam are still in play.
“I think it’s just setting yourself little targets,” said McIlroy, 37, who bogeyed his final four holes on Thursday in an opening 74. “Yesterday I set myself a target of getting back to even par for the tournament, didn’t quite get there, was one shy. Again today, set myself a target of if I could get to five under par, one better than the leaders going out, that was … again, didn’t quite get there, but I think just setting yourself these little targets, it helps you just lock in and focus on yourself and not really think about anything else that’s going on. And I’ve done a good job of that over the past couple days.”
When he holed out for a closing bogey in the first round, McIlroy assessed his day as “sh–.” He sat 105th place but soon realized his chances weren’t in the toilet.
“I had a really bad finish on Thursday, but at the end of the day, I was only seven back,” was how McIlroy talked himself off an emotional ledge. “I thought back to last year’s Masters; I was seven back after the first day, and I was two ahead going into the final day. So there’s a lot of golf and a lot of things can happen during the course of a golf tournament.
“I’ve progressively just got a little bit closer to the lead each day.”
His performance on Saturday was at times breathtaking, the kind of golf that gets a gallery on your side, whatever side of the ocean you call home. Prominent among his shots was the tee ball he unleashed at the par-4 sixth hole. McIlroy reached the green on a hole measuring 397 yards and playing slightly uphill. The Northern Irishman just shrugged mostly when a reporter mentioned the Ruthian blast, noting the increasing firmness of the fairways and the mowing pattern.
Whatever. It was a remarkable blow.
That set up one of his six birdies against two bogeys. If there was any disappointment, it was in the finish as he again closed in less than stellar fashion. He failed to birdie the par-5 16th hole, a clear disappointment with his power, and he needed gut-check par saves at 15 and 18 to stay in the top-10 on the board.
He posted his 25th round of 66 or better in a major, second to Tiger Woods, who has 28, while Jack Nicklaus is third on that list with 21. Pretty good company.
Of course, he immediately was asked to assess his day in contrast to his colorful description on Thursday. “Better,” he replied. “I said no profanity today, so keep it clean.”
Someone later suggested that it was “hot sh–.” He laughed and nodded.
Worth noting was the notable lack of profanity directed in his direction as he played alongside popular American golfer Brooks Koepka, who owns five majors, including three PGA titles. There were a few “USA” chants along the way, and one knucklehead shouted for McIlroy to miss the green at the par-3 eighth hole, which actually drew the ire of spectators in the vicinity. The crowd was well-behaved an encouraging, which is not as unusual one might expect.
The last player to win the year’s first two majors was Jordan Spieth in 2015. The year before, McIlroy won the final two majors, the Open Championship followed by his second PGA title. Should he win Sunday, he would capture his seventh major and break a tie with Sir Nick Faldo for most majors by a European-born player. Would it surprise McIlroy if the gallery got behind him?
“No. Again, 103 out of 104 weeks, I get pretty good support everywhere I go,” he said. “It’s just that one week every … or one week every four years, I guess it is, that most of the crowd are on the other side, and that’s fine. If I were them, I’d be on the U.S. side, too. But no, I do, I feel like I get a lot of support anywhere I go, and I’m very fortunate and very grateful for that.”
Left figuratively for dead after the first round of this PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy has kept his chances alive. Whether he’s a hero or not is immaterial. He’s one of the game’s greats, and he has a chance to do something no one has ever accomplished in a major. Only four players in history have rallied to win a major after sitting in 50th place or worse after 18 holes. Steve Jones owns the biggest comeback after falling to 84th place after the opening round of the 1996 U.S. Open. That’s right, no one has ever come from outside the top 100.
Such an achievement would be something special. We might even say kind of heroic.
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