McIlroy to battle Wilson for Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title

Northern Irish golf ace Rory McIlroy is set to fight with Oliver Wilson for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after the world number 792 took the lead in the tournament with a third-round 65 at St Andrews.

McIlroy is among a group three shots behind on 12 under after he made five birdies in a row in his 64. But the world number one missed the chance to pressure the Englishman's lead when he needed two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on the 16th.

Tommy Fleetwood made a course record equalling 10-under-par 62, including 10 birdies, to also reach 12 under. The Englishman went one better than McIlroy's run as he carded six successive birdies, The BBC reported.

Halfway leader Raphael Jacquelin and fellow Frenchman Alexander Levy joined Fleetwood and McIlroy in second place on 12 under.

A win for Wilson, who was part of the European Ryder Cup team in 2008 but is now ranked 792 in the world, would be his first on the European Tour. He said that he would be nervous, adding that it is a big day for him.

But, Wilson added that the way he played the last two days, he left so many putts out there and is still at the top. So, he said that that gives him a lot of belief, but also added that the coming day would be a very different day.

Wilson said that he expects McIlroy to shoot the lights out every time the world number one tees it up, and added that the other names on the leaderboard don't really affect him.

Meanwhile McIlroy, who is playing alongside his father Gerry, said that he got himself into contention going into Sunday's round. He said that his dad and he are going to get to play St Andrews on his father's 55th birthday on Sunday.