Sky Sports make revealing Rory McIlroy observation at Dunhill Links: 'We get criticised...'

Sky Sports Golf commentators Andrew Coltart and Laura Davies could not help but notice why Rory McIlroy 'still moves the needle' despite being well out of contention at the Dunhill Links on Sunday.

Former European Ryder Cup player Coltart wanted to draw viewer eyeballs to the fact the crowd following McIlroy during the final round was vastly larger to the one following the final group of the day in Tyrrell Hatton and Nicolas Colsaerts on the famed Old Course at St Andrews. 

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McIlroy found himself 12 shots off the pace heading into the final round.

The World No.3 was so far back of the leaders that he even started on the 10th hole.

As Hatton and Colsaerts were on the 2nd green with their amateur playing partners, Coltart could not help but notice a flurry of spectators walking down the 17th with McIlroy, who was joined by his good friend Shane Lowry and big-hitting Wilco Nienaber. 

Coltart said: 

"I can't help but notice I'm watching all the crowd... if everybody wonders about who still moves the needle, Rory McIlroy is still on that other nine holes and he is out of this tournament and not in contention, and yet the whole crowd are following McIlroy instead of the unbelivably talented and potentially the winner for the third time in this event, Tyrrell Hatton. What does that say?!"

Co-commentator and LPGA Tour legend Davies explained Sky Sports Golf often gets criticised for their constant coverage of McIlroy, even when the Ulsterman is not in the mix for a tournament. 

But yet there is valid reason for it. 

"Well it just says, you know we get criticised for going on about Rory McIlroy a bit too much, but this is just what people want to see. There is proof of it."

At the top of the board, Hatton is going in search of an outright record third win at the Dunhill Links following previous wins in 2016 and 2017. 

He became the first player in history to win back-to-back Dunhill Links titles back then.

Padraig Harrington is the only other two-time winner of the iconic DP World Tour event.

Colsaerts is looking to hunt Hatton down in the final round.

The Belgian is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour but his last victory dates back to October 2019. 

Colsaerts has been so out of form that he does not even have an exemption category on the DP World Tour.

But he relied on an invite by tournament host Johann Rupert just six days before the start of the tournament. 

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GolfMagic caught up with McIlroy's final-round playing partner Wilco Nienaber while he was on the range at the Dunhill Links earlier this week.

We took a deep dive into the South African's bag. 

Nienaber is the longest hitter on the DP World Tour. 

Watch our video with Nienaber here: