The Horizon Irish Open is reaching its climax on Sunday and the top golfers on the leaderboard are out to prove their mettle in the $6 million prize pool. The same is the case with home favorite Rory McIlroy who placed himself at the third position at the end of Moving Round.

But what’s surprising is that the pro golfer who was at the topmost spot after the round was anything but scared of McIlroy taking away his glory. His confidence brings loads of excitement to the golfing community as the hype reaches its zenith on the final day.

Pro golfer asks Rory McIlroy to take caution

Hurly Long placed himself at the top of the leaderboard with an amazing performance through the three days at the Horizon Irish Open. Registering a score of 67(-5), 66(-6), and 70(-2) helped him push past the field of illustrious golfers, including McIlroy, to the first place. And, when asked about whether the support that his Irish peer would receive from the home crowd would make him feel anxious or excited heading into the final day, Long had much to say even as he took a jab at the 24X PGA Tour winner.

In the press conference after the third round, the German golfer mentioned how it was going to be an exciting final round on Sunday and that “he’s(McIlroy) going to be nervous”. Continuing with his response, the European Tour No. 150 said, “I know it’s going to be way more difficult tomorrow than it was even today, but you can feed off of that just as well”. The 2020 Italian Challenge Open winner indicated that he was “looking forward to it either way”.

Long also recounted his experience last year at The Belfry in the Betfred British Masters where he was leading after the first two rounds. Although the 28-year-old could only finish tied for 6th with Chase Hanna with a 7-under 281, he admitted that the lesson he learned then would help him out immensely this time around.

It takes a lot of confidence to stay unwavering in the face of potential danger, which in this case comes in the form of the Northern Irish golfer currently at No. 2 in the world. But even McIlroy, who is just two strokes shy of the top spot, not long ago had shared how difficult it is to win on home soil.

McIlroy opens up about his hardships

The Northern Irishman had a wonderful round on Saturday with a dazzling 6-under 66 which helped him to the third position. But even so, as per the golfer, his chances of winning on Irish soil are very low. The 34-year-old on to explain how hard it is to actually win one’s own National Open. Adding to his clarification, he called his iconic 2016 victory as nothing short of good fortune.

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Nevertheless, McIlroy was still excited for the final day as he shared how the cheers and support from the fans would push him to play much better. The win would be a tremendous boost to his confidence ahead of the upcoming Ryder Cup as he hopes to carry forward his momentum to the biennial event.

What do you think? Will Rory McIlroy be able to clinch the title or will Hurly Long cement his position? Let us know in the comments below.

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