Rory McIlroy fired three successive bogeys late in his third round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational here at Bay Hill on Saturday to ruin a charge through the field . World No 1 McIlroy had closed to within one of the lead when he dropped shots at the 14th , 15th and 16th to finish the day seven adrift of tournament pace-setter Henrik Stenson . McIlroy said afterwards he still hoped to push himself into contention with a fast start on Sunday but admitted victory in his final tune-up before the US Masters was now unlikely . Rory McIlroy plays out of a bunker on the 11th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational . The world No 1 , pictured playing his approach to the green on the sixth , carded a one-under-par 71 . McIlroy is seven shots behind leader Henrik Stenson after bogeying three holes in a row on the back nine . 'Everything was going really well for 13 holes , ' McIlroy said , 'and I got myself right into the tournament . Then I had a messy three holes . It would have been nice to have been a little bit closer to the lead . ' McIlroy was not too dismayed by his late hiccup . He has worn the air this week of a man intent on saving his best for the Masters , which starts at Augusta in less than three weeks . So McIlroy chatted a little about Ireland 's win in the Six Nations and opened his eyes wide when he heard how close England had come to getting the final try they needed . He will try to close the gap to Stenson and then spend the next fortnight honing his game in private . Henrik Stenson sits on top of the leaderboard after a second consecutive round of 66 on Saturday . Stenson , pictured after hit his drive on the eighth hole , has a two-shot advantage heading into the final round . Everything is about the build-up to Augusta where McIlroy will attempt to join a select group of the greats of the game by winning the only Major that has eluded him . Victory would lift him into the company of Gene Sarazen , Ben Hogan , Gary Player , Jack Nicklaus , and Tiger Woods who all won the Masters , the US Open , The Open and the USPGA at least once in their careers . ' I have pretty much got what I wanted out of the week so far , ' McIlroy said . 'It has highlighted a couple of things I need to work on and that 's what I will do in the next couple of weeks . ' McIlroy , pictured lining up a putt on the 10th green , will prepare for the Masters in the coming weeks . The 25-year-old is looking to complete a career Grand Slam with victory at Augusta next month . One of the reasons McIlroy played Bay Hill was because he wanted to replicate his routine from 2011 when he had a fortnight off before the Masters and led the field before collapsing on the back nine . 'It worked pretty well at Augusta , at least for 63 holes , ' he said . McIlroy dined with Palmer , 85 , on Thursday night , soaking up his wisdom and listening to tales of the way golf used to be . At the start of next month , he will be seeking to make some history of his own .
Rory McIlroy shot a one-under-par round of 71 on Saturday in Orlando . The world No 1 bogeyed three holes in a row to drop down the leaderboard . Henrik Stenson leads by two shots heading into the final day at Bay Hill . McIlroy will work on his game ahead of the Masters next month . He is looking to complete a career Grand Slam by winning at Augusta .