Rory McIlroys competitors admit he will be hard to hunt down

AUGUSTA, Ga.— As Rory McIlroy was carving out his epic Masters third round Saturday, his fellow competitors were taking notice.And when McIlroy’s round was over, a two-shot lead secured for Sunday’s final round after shooting 66 Saturday, those players spoke about how difficult it’ll be to track him down.“When he plays his best golf, it’s hard to catch him,’’ 21-year-old Ludvig Åberg said after finishing on 6-under.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of guys in this world that can catch him when he plays at his best.We all saw it.’’Jason Day, who’s 5-under, said he’s noticed a particularly steely focus in McIlroy this week.“He’s going to be a very, very difficult person to beat tomorrow the way that he’s looking off the golf course before the round — very confident, very balanced in himself,’’ Day said.

“He’s the best player of our generation, for sure.He just makes things look so easy.

You look at his score today, he was 4-under through three holes? He kind of faltered and then all of a sudden he makes three on the trot.“He’s explosive enough to be able to do that.There’s not many guys on this planet that are able to do something like that.

That’s what’s impressive about him.’’Day said he’s aware of the pressure McIlroy faces Sunday, having not won a major in 11 years and trying to complete the career Grand Slam.“Yeah, there’s obviously pressure, but he has pressure every single week,’’ Day said.“He seemed very focused, determined to accomplish that.

It doesn’t look like he’s focusing on it.That’s the thing.“I know it’s in the back of his mind, but I think he’s running off so much confidence and he has so much belief in his game that it’s almost like he knows it’s going to happen.

And when you’re playing like that, it’s very dangerous.’’Day marveled at McIlroy’s mental toughness Saturday.After his incredible start, McIlroy flatlined a bit in the middle of the round b...