Miami, March 6

Rory McIlroy again benefited from his new putting grip as he overhauled halfway leader Adam Scott to move three strokes clear after the third round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami on Saturday.

Two shots behind Scott overnight, the world No 3 racked up four birdies in a flawless display to card a four-under 68 on the difficult Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral Resort.

McIlroy, seeking his first victory since the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in late November, parred the last three holes on the brutal closing stretch to post a 12-under total of 204. “I just played a really solid round of golf,” he told Golf Channel after getting up and down from a greenside bunker to save par at the last. “I didn’t make any mistakes, no bogeys, which is what I’ve been looking to do. I feel like I’ve been making too many mistakes, so to eliminate the mistakes out there today and hole a lot of good putts and give myself a lot of (birdie) looks, I felt really good about it,” added the Northern Irishman.

Australian Scott, winner of the Honda Classic last week, bogeyed two of the last six holes on the way to a 73 and a share of second at nine-under with long-hitting American Dustin Johnson (71). Two ahead of the chasing pack overnight, Scott bogeyed the par-three fourth after missing the green off the tee to fall back into a tie for the lead with McIlroy, who picked up a shot at the opening hole.

McIlroy sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the fifth to edge a stroke in front before doubling his lead when he drained a 16-footer at the par-five 10th. The Northern Irishman, using a deft short game, parred the last eight holes to maintain his grip on the tournament. “It feels really good,” McIlroy said of his change this week from a conventional putting grip to left-hand low, following a missed cut at the Honda Classic.

“I feel really comfortable over it and you can see by the way I have been putting, I have been holing a lot of the putts that I should hole to keep the round going,” he added. “It’s so nice to hole a putt like that on the last just to give myself that little bit of a cushion going into tomorrow,” he said of his six-footer for par at 18. World No 1 Jordan Spieth was tied for 17th at two-under after a 73.