A four-under 67 moved McIlroy into a share of eighth on five under at the Truist Championship, four shots adrift of leader Sungjae Im.

Six birdies in his last seven holes saw the Irishman post a 65 and a 12-under-par total to lead the Masters by six.

The Northern Irishman is seeking to become only the fourth man to retain the green jacket.

The Northern Irishman was level par through seven holes, only two shots off the lead.

The Northern Irishman said ahead of his Masters defence: ‘There’s still a lot that I want to do’.

The Northern Irishman completed the career grand slam with an emotional play-off victory over Justin Rose 12 months ago.

Masters champion McIlroy had withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday before his third round

Luke Donald’s team gained half a point before play had even started as Viktor Hovland withdrew through injury and his game was declared a draw.

It was a day of high drama and tension, with players arguing and the action being paused at times due to the boorish behaviour of the home crowd.

Murray took his own life last week.