Reprieved McIlroy moves up leaderboard

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - Teenage Briton Rory McIlroy took advantage of a late second-round reprieve to inch his way up the U.S. Masters leaderboard on Saturday.

Given extra motivation when tournament organizers cleared him of infringing the rules on Friday, the 19-year-old carded a one-under-par 71 in difficult, swirling winds in the third round.

The long-hitting McIlroy, who clinched his maiden European Tour title in February's Dubai Desert Classic, pared the last 10 holes at Augusta National for an even-par total of 216.

"I played very solidly and only had one bogey out there in tricky conditions," the Northern Irishman told reporters after recording two birdies and one dropped shot in the first eight holes.

"A couple of birdies and a sub-par round was nice today and will hopefully move me up a few spots."

Less then 24 hours earlier, the mop-haired teenager survived an anxious wait before advancing right on the cut line of one-over 145.

A question had been raised over whether McIlroy had illegally tested the sand before playing a second shot from a greenside bunker at the par-four 18th.

After reviewing television footage of the incident, consulting McIlroy and lengthy deliberations, the competition committee cleared the teenager and he escaped possible disqualification.