Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Royal County Down

Earlier this week, as we were following Rory McIlroy around, over our shoulders came the plea: "Rory, can I have your ball?"

Acknowledging his young fan, McIlroy tossed the ball in his direction.

The lucky lad was Jamie from Skerries. He also managed to snag mementos off defending champion Vincent Norrman and Thriston Lawrence, but McIlroy's was clearly the one he wanted most.

"Best day of my life," declared Jamie as he disappeared back into the crowd.

With one swish of his right hand, McIlroy made Jamie's week.

He'll make everyone's week if he gets the job done here, but it's closer than many thought it would be!

Image source, BBC Sport

Wow. Rasmus Hojgaard has done it again! He has holed a bunker shot for a birdie on the 17th much like he did from the sand dunes on eleven.

Suddenly, Rory McIlroy finds himself behind for the first time today.

The last time the Irish Open was held at Royal County Down in 2015, it was won by Soren Kjeldsen from Denmark.

If you believe in omens, that's maybe not a good one for Rory McIlroy but a good one for Kjeldsen's countryman Rasmus Hojgaard.

Image source, Inpho

Suddenly, Rory McIlroy has been caught for the first time today as his bogey after failing to hole from 20 feet drops him level with Rasmus Hojgaard.

Image source, Inpho

Rasumus Hojgaard has had some sumptuous shots today and another on sixteen has set him up for a birdie which brings him to within one of Rory McIlroy.

It may well be the 23 year-old Dane who pushes McIlroy the hardest as we approach the home straight.

That may well be the end of Robert MacIntyre's hopes of doing an historic Scottish and Irish Open double as he is way off target off the sixteenth tee.

McIlroy certainly didn't want to be chasing the flag on the tough 15th but he has either been a little aggressive or pushed his 181-yard approach shot and the ball has trundled into a nasty spot to the right of the green. He'll do very well to get up and down from there......are we going to have a twist here?

Sure enough, McIlroy's chip runs more than 20 feet past the hole after he doesn't appear to get the right contact on his attempted flop shot.

In stark contrast to his playing partner Dan Brown, Italian Filippo Celli finishes the day with a three over 74 which takes him to two over overall.

He seemingly peaked too early after his opening round 68 and struggled the rest of the weekend.

McIlroy and Manassero both record fairly routine pars on 14 after finding the green with their approaches.

The home hero's lead over the the Italian, Dan Brown and Rasmus Hojgaard remains two.

Dan Brown failed to find the green on 18 as he put himself in a devilish position on the left and his chip has barely clung on to the putting surface as he's left with a 20-footer for birdie which he leaves just short.

He finishes on six under par after a closing 66. Another fine performance from Brown on Irish soil after his World Invitational win at Galgorm Castle last year.

Rory McIlroy had to hole a four-footer for par after rushing his birdie putt past the hole but got the job done and Manassero remains on six under after cleaning up from a similar distance.

McIlroy is still two ahead as he moves to the 14th tee.

Image source, Getty Images

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Royal County Down

Dan Brown has put himself in position A1 in the 18th fairway. He has the chance to post a good target here and potentially deny McIlroy a fairytale win.

Bit of a wait on the tee and with his second shot. Never ideal. He's keeping relaxed though.

After finishing yesterday on level par, Tom McKibbin would have been hoping for a run up the leaderboard but it never materislised.

He improved with two birdies in the back nine after dropping four shots on the front and he will have enjoyed a week playing in front of a home crowd.

Dan Brown is playing some lovely golf but his birdie putts just refuse to drop at the moment. He has had five pars in a row since birdieing 13 to move to six under.

He is still keeping the pressure on but the gap remains two as the Englishman prepares for his last tee shot of the week.

Rory McIlroy has a chance to extend his lead to three after a decent chip from an awkward position on the par-five 12th but seems to pull his 14-foot putt as it doesn't threaten the hole.

Manassero also has to be content with a par as he remains two behind alongside Brown and Hojgaard, who has rolled in his birdie putt after his fortunate bounce on 14.

Image source, Inpho

Rasmus Hojgaard drops just his second shot of the day on the thirteenth. While he has had an excellent Sunday, any dropped shot at this stage could prove crucial.

He shakes his head as he snatches the ball out of the hole but he has just had a lovely kick off a sand dune to within putting range on the par-three 14th.

Could he recover that shot immediately?

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Royal County Down

That was massive.

From where we're standing, some of the younger patrons don't have a great view and they thought Manassero's putt was McIlroy.

But McIlroy produced a noise twice as loud, the loudest I've heard today. What a time to make a bird.

Image source, Getty Images

Matteo Manassero drained a curling 30-footer to move within a shot of McIlroy but the home hero responded by slotting in from 20 feet to move two clear again amid deafening cheers.

That was his first birdie since the second hole. Is that McIlroy back in control of the Irish Open?

He now leads Manassero, Dan Brown and Rasmus Hojgaard by two shots.

Another birdie for the young Dane sees him join Dan Brown a shot behind McIlroy.

The chasing pack is growing...

I also owe an apology to Aaron Cockerill as he has just double bogeyed the 13th.

Aaron Cockerill is a name that has been floating around the upper echelons of the leaderboard all week with two rounds of 71 sandwiching a 69 on Friday.

He is one under today as he approaches the home straight. He hails from the tiny town of Teulon in Manitoba where average temperatures can drop as low as -20. Not exactly a golf hotbed but he is doing the people of 'The Keystone Province' proud.