McIlroy, who last claimed a major title in 2014, ended up in a six-way tie for fourth in Tokyo three years back and quipped this week that he had never worked so hard to achieve a third-place finish in his career.
This time, with Schauffele, Rahm, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood leading the final round, McIlroy is among those chasing them, alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and former Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama.
“I feel great about my position on the leaderboard,” McIlroy commented.
“I came very close to securing a medal in Tokyo last time, and I’m in the mix to vie for one again this time, which excites me.”
Returning to competition after missing the cut at last month’s Open, McIlroy stands at 10 under heading into the final round, following a Saturday score of 66, which included five birdies and no bogeys.
“I certainly can’t complain too much; finishing today without a bogey was really part of the strategy,” said the world number three.
“My approach today was to minimize mistakes. I played the front nine incredibly well again, shooting three-under-par each day on that side.
“I also improved my performance on the back nine today, which was nice to see.”
