Rory McIlroy reveals Saturday night plans to aid quest for major history not seen in decades

Rory McIlroy shot a stunning third-round 66 to fire himself into contention at the PGA Championship.

The Northern Irishman, who is riding high off a second-straight Masters title last month, had a nightmare start at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday.

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After a first-round 74, he sat T105, but recovered well with a classy 67 on Friday.

Things got even better on ‘moving day’ as McIlroy charged through the field, teeing off over three-and-a-half hours before the leaders.

Rory McIlroy bidding to make 37-year PGA Championship history

He carded six birdies on his way to a four-under-par 66, and even held a share of the lead as he approached the end of his round.

After a bunker mistake on the penultimate hole, McIlroy nailed a pressure putt to ensure he was just one back from the leaders on Saturday.

Having charged up the leaderboard, he’s now in contention for back-to-back major wins.

And if he does lift the Wanamaker trophy later this weekend, McIlroy will have to do something not seen for more than three decades at the PGA Championship, which this year boasts a record-breaking prize pot.

He’s seeking to become just the third player to win the event after sitting outside the top 50 following the first round.

The others to do so are Payne Stewart, from T77 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in 1989, and John Mahaffey from T59 at Oakmont Country Club in 1978.

Only four men have recovered from outside the top 50 to win any of the four majors.

Stewart and Mahaffey were joined in that exclusive club by Steve Jones at the 1996 US Open from T84 and Mark O’Meara at the 1998 Open Championship from T62.

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Come Sunday, McIlroy could find himself in esteemed company.

With so much on the line at Aronimink, the 37-year-old would be forgiven for gluing himself to the television to watch how the rest of the title challengers perform on Saturday afternoon.

But that isn’t his style.

Rory McIlroy reveals Saturday night plans after storming into contention

When asked if he’ll want to keep a close eye on events at Aronimink after his own third-round, McIlroy suggested there’s something else at the top of his to-do list.

“I’ll watch a little bit of it,” he told reporters.

“I’ll go back to the house and put the feet up. I started Batman, The Dark Night, last night — so I’ll try to finish that.

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“It’s one of my go-to’s, to try to forget about things.

“But yeah, I’ll be curious just to see how the leaders go this afternoon.”

While his mind won’t be on the leaderboard as he settles in for a movie night, McIlroy did insist that he’s in a solid position to challenge for victory.

As well as bidding to make a massive comeback from T105 after his opening round, the world No. 2 is also hoping to become the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win the first two majors of the calendar year.

“I had a really bad finish on Thursday, but at the end of the day, I was only seven back,” McIlroy said.

“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.

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“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.

“We’ll see what happens, but I’ve climbed my way out of that hole a little bit.

“I’m proud of myself for doing that, but there’s one more day left, and I feel like, if I can — depending on what the guys do — be close enough to the lead, I feel like I’ve still got a good chance.”

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