McIlroy admits to nerves after opening eight-shot lead

By Brendon Hanley Jun 19, 2011, 0:48 GMT

Bethesda, Maryland - Rory McIlroy, who will go into Sunday's final round at the US Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland with an eight-shot lead admitted after his third round that he was slightly nervous at the start of play Saturday.

'It definitely was not as easy as the first two rounds. I knew going out that I was going to feel a little bit of pressure and a little bit of nerves.

'It took me a couple holes to get into the round. But I think the up-and-down on three from 90 yards was huge. That gave me a little bit of momentum.'

The Northern Ireland golfer leads from South Korean YE Yang, who - like Saturday - will be his playing partner on Sunday.

'Overall, I am really happy with the way I played today, and I just need to keep it going for 18 more holes.'

The 22-year-old has a huge following in America and was accompanied around the course by a large number of fans who kept on chanting: 'Let's go Rory, let's go.'

'It was incredible. The support that our group got out there was fantastic. It's nice to nearly get a standing ovation on almost every green you walk up on to. Hopefully I can give them something else to cheer about tomorrow,' he said.

He defended his attitude, which has been described by some as cockiness. 'Having a little bit of attitude and a killer instinct, I think they go hand in hand. Especially in the position I find myself in, you can't get complacent.

'No lead is big enough, so you need to keep going. What I did today was: I tried to set myself a target with little goals, which kept me from focusing on the leaderboard or how far I was ahead. That kept me in the present and kept me focused on my game.'

He admitted that he was feeling more and more comfortable as his lead grew. 'The more I put myself in the position, the more and more comfortable I am becoming.

'I thought today would be a really good indication on how I would fare for the whole weekend. Obviously having a big lead can come with its own pressures, but I felt very comfortable out there today.'

He dismissed talk of being the next Tiger Woods or of breaking Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Majors. 'I'm still looking for my first one. That's all I can say.

'I put myself in a great position to do that tomorrow, and we'll see what happens from there. It's nice to have complimentary things said about you, but until you do these things, they don't mean anything.'