Tyrrell grabs pole position heading into the final round
ENGLAND’S Tyrrell Hatton will take a slender lead into today’s final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
However, Major champions Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer are hot on his heels among a vast chasing pack.
Hatton birdied four of his last eight holes to card a 68 and finish 13-under-par, a shot ahead of a five-strong group including US Open champion Johnson and three-time Abu Dhabi winner Kaymer.
Halfway leader Kaymer could only manage a level-par 72 as Johnson surged through the field with six birdies and an eagle in a flawless 64, with Tommy Fleetwood, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Pablo Larrazabal also on 12-under.
The top 21 players are separated by just four shots, with Open champion Henrik Stenson, fellow Swede Alex Noren and Lee Westwood among the group on 10-under.
Hatton enjoyed the best season of his career last year, recording top-10 finishes in two majors and winning his first European Tour title in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, performances which secured the 25-year-old a Masters debut in April.
“I got off to a bit of a slow start but holed a couple of putts on the back nine and am very happy with the day’s work in the end,” the world No. 23 said.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of practice over the winter. I spent most of my time playing Xbox and chilling out at home to be perfectly honest. So it is a little bit of a surprise to see where I’m at this week, but I’m very happy with one round to go.
“Obviously there are big names up there, so I’ve just got to focus on my game and try and play as well as I can.
“I love this place. It’s one of my favourite events of the year, so hopefully I can go out there tomorrow and have a good day.”
Johnson had faced a battle to make the halfway cut after labouring to an opening 72, but responded with a 68 in the second round and carried on where he left off on Saturday.
The world No. 3 birdied the first, third and sixth before adding an eagle on the eighth – surprisingly his first under-par score on any of the par fives at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Johnson’s momentum stalled with a run of six straight pars before a hat-trick of birdies from the 15th gave the 32-year-old a superb 64, equalling the lowest score of the week.
“I played a little bit better today,” Johnson said with typical understatement. “The biggest difference was I drove it better, I hit a lot more fairways today and holed a few putts.
“I’m still yet to birdie a par five but I did make an eagle on eight, chipped one in. It was a really solid round.”
Kaymer, who blew a 10-shot lead in the final round here in 2015, was unable to build on consecutive rounds of 66 as he tries to win for the first time since cruising to victory in the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst.
“I didn’t hit as many good tee shots as the first two days,” the former world No. 1 said.
“I missed a few fairways today and then it’s difficult to create birdie chances.
“You always have one of those rounds you’re not quite happy with, so it’s okay. I think I’m in a very good position for tomorrow.
“I don’t feel a lot of pressure to win the golf tournament. Always when you lead a golf tournament by three or four shots, you kind of expect yourself to win, and I don’t really have that pressure tomorrow.
“I know I’ve done very well here in the past, so I can play very free and very aggressive.”
Top Scots are Marc Warren and Scott Jamieson, six shots of the lead. David Drysdale and Richie Ramsay are three shots further back as they head into today’s final round.