McILROY’S EAGLE CLAWS BACK HOPE

RORY McILROY nailed a finalhole eagle to jump into contention at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Ryder Cup team-mate Thomas Pieters leads the starstudded field after his 65 took him to 12-under par.

But the Ulsterman (left) is only three shots back after carding four birdies and draining a 30-footer at the last for his 66 as he seeks his first win since September 2016.

“Finishing with the eagle was massive,” said McIlroy. “Five shots to make up over the weekend is quite a lot, especially with a bunched leaderboard, so to cut that deficit to three, I feel so much closer to the lead. I feel like if I get off to a hot start before the leaders go off, all of a sudden you’re one back or tied or in the lead, and then you’re really in the tournament.”

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood is two shots off the lead alongside Ross Fisher and Alexander Levy after celebrating his 27th birthday with a 68. “It’s a great honour to be European No.1 and it’s a great accomplishment to have in my career,” he said.

“The unfortunate thing is nobody cares right now.

“When you’re playing out there, nobody cares what you did last year. You’ve got to get on with it and you have to keep moving forward.”