There are very few golfers who could make the cut on the number and still contend to win a golf tournament on the weekend. Rory McIlroy is one of those guys. After shooting 74-70 in the first two rounds, McIlroy teed off early on Saturday and lit it up with an 8-under 64 in the third round that got him within three strokes of the lead at the time he finished. The leaders were not set to tee off for another few hours.

It could have been even better than it was, too. Much like Tiger Woods' 67 on Friday, McIlroy left strokes all over the course as he missed two birdie putts of eight feet and one from five (!) feet. His ball-striking was as good as it gets, though. McIlroy was first in the field at the time he finished in strokes gained off the tee as well as strokes gained from tee to green and around the green.

His 31 on the front nine included an eagle hole-out on the par-5 5th as well as three other birdies. He grabbed three more birdies on holes Nos. 11-13, including one from 27 feet on the 13th. It was his longest putt of the day (by 19 feet) and also his last birdie of the round. McIlroy parred in for the 64.

Now, we wait. To see what the leaders do. To see what Tiger Woods -- who surpassed McIlroy early on in his round on Saturday -- does. To see if a field can take advantage of a course that seems to be gettable. 

McIlroy will likely trail the leaders of this event by five or more when he starts his day on Sunday, but few golfers burn as hot as he does when he catches a heater. After a third round in which he hit next to zero putts (McIlroy gained just a half stroke on the field with his putter), if he hits it on Sunday like he did on Saturday and makes anything, we could be in for more fireworks.

McIlroy's issue of late has been stringing four rounds together. After smoking out of the gates last week at the BMW PGA Championship, he faded on the weekend. This time around he barely made the cut at even-par 144 but is lighting up the weekend thus far. He's clearly found something in a swing he's been talking about tweaking for a bit now, and it led to one of his best ball-striking days of the season. Now, it's about sustainability for four rounds and then four weeks and then four months.

If McIlroy can repeat that swing and ball-striking fiesta on Sunday, we could get (I never thought on Thursday or Friday that I would be typing this) an all-time comeback victory at Muirfield Village.