Q. Rory McIlroy, 1-under 69. What are the biggest takeaways from today?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, just a really difficult U.S. Open Saturday. I think everything we expected it to be.
The course is getting crispy. Some of the pin positions are pretty tricky. Felt like a lot of them were cut on little crowns. There was a lot of uphill putts but then after the hole it went downhill, so pretty tricky to get the pace right. It caught me out a couple times.
I love the test that Pinehurst is presenting, and you've got to focus and concentrate on every single shot out there. It's what a U.S. Open should be like. It's obviously great to be in the mix.
Q. How closely have you been watching the leaderboard over the last five minutes?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, very closely. I did an interview with NBC there, and while I was doing it, they were showing Bryson on 16, so I know what happened there.
The last few holes are playing very, very difficult. Even 17, it's downwind, but with that pin cut at the front, it's hard to get that ball close, and even on 18 where that hole location is.
No matter what happens, I feel like two shots, three shots, four shots, I've got a great chance going into tomorrow.
Q. You talked about embracing the difficulty of this golf course this week. Has that been tested at all, and how encouraging is it that this is the result?
RORY McILROY: I think I'm embracing the questions that the golf course asks of you. I think there's holes where you have to be aggressive. There's holes where you have to be conservative. There's hole locations that you can take on and hit wedges close to. There's hole locations you've got to stay away from.
It tests your chipping. It tests your putting. It obviously tests your mental fortitude more than any other golf tournament.
As I said at the start of the week, it's a style of golf that I've started to try and embrace over these last few years, and it's the reason that my performances at the U.S. Open have been much improved over the last half a decade.
Q. Were you sort of pushing to get in the last group with Bryson? Does that matter much at this point? Just overall either way, your shot at getting the fifth major tomorrow, how do you feel about it?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm excited about it. It would have been nice to hole that putt at the last and get to 5-under and break out of that logjam at 4. Pros and cons. Pros and cons to being in the last group, and maybe playing one group ahead mightn't necessarily be a bad thing.
I'm pretty much in the same position that I was last year going into the final day at LACC. So familiar position, been here many times before, and hopefully tomorrow I produce the golf that's needed to go one better.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports