Rory leads the way as he seeks a Dubai hat-trick but Bob has him in sights
Rory Mcilroy will take a oneshot lead into today’s final round of the Dpworld Tour Championship after a birdie on the last handed him a third-round 67 in Dubai.
The Northern Irishman is a two-time winner of the European Tour’s season-ending event and a third victory would make it backto-back wins worldwide after his PGA Tour triumph at the CJ Cup last month.
He has not achieved that feat since 2014, when he won the Open Championship, Wgcbridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship – his fourth and last Major success to date – on consecutive starts.
That looked a distant prospect as he lost his first three matches in September’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, where his victory over Xander Schauffele in the Singles was followed by an emotional interview in which he said he felt he had let his teammates down.
Since then he has parted ways with swing coach Pete Cowen and returned to long-time mentor, Michael Bannon, revealing this week that he was taking more personal ownership of his game.
The move seems to be paying dividends and he will head into the final round over the Earth Course at 14-under-par, one shot clear of England’s Sam Horsfield and two ahead of Scotland’s Robert Macintyre and Swede Alexander Bjork.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m right where I want to be. I want to be contending on Sundays in golf tournaments and feel like I’m back to playing the way I should and the way that will get me back contending. I’m excited. I’m excited to go out there and try to pick up another one.”
Entering the day a shot off the lead after a double-bogey at the last on day two, Mcilroy led by two as he recovered from an opening bogey with birdies on the second, third, sixth, ninth, 10th and 14th.
He got a lucky break when his tee-shot at the par-three 17th looked to be heading for the water but settled on the rocks and, while he could not save par there, a birdie on the last moved him ahead of Horsfield, who dropped a shot on the same hole.
A two-time winner in 2020, Horsfield is looking for the biggest victory of his career and carded a 69 yesterday after holding a share of the lead after 36 holes.
“It was a little sloppy, it wasn’t my best stuff,” he said.
“I’ve played with Rory a few times. He’s a good dude and I’m really looking forward to it. Just try to play good golf again and see what happens.”
Macintyre holed a 72-foot putt for birdie on the fourth and added an eagle on the seventh, but he also bogeyed the last after finding the water in his 67.
“I’m playing great and I’m committing to every shot and I’m accepting everything,” said the Oban lefty.
“That’s when I play my best golf.”
The only other Scot in the field following Callum Hill’s withdrawal after day one, Grant Forrest, is in a tie for 31st on four-under-par following a 72.
Open champion Collin Morikawa carded a 69 to sit three shots off the lead and remained in pole position to become the first American to take the Race to Dubai title and be crowned Europe’s No. 1. 69, Jeff Winther (Den) 70 69 69; 209 – Tyrrell Hatton 70 73 66, Paul Casey 70 69 70, Thomas Pieters (Bel) 73 66 70, Ian Poulter 73 69 67;
210 – Min-woo Lee (Aus) 72 69 69,
Jason Scrivener (Aus) 71 69 70; 211 – Abraham Ancer (Mex) 72 69 70, Tommy Fleetwood 70 72 69, Lucas Herbert (Aus) 72 69 70, Thomas Detry (Bel) 69 70 72, Rafael Cabrera (Spa) 70 70 71, Adria Arnaus (Spa) 75 68 68, Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 70 71 70, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 68 69 74;
212 – Jamie Donaldson 70 68 74, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa) 67 75 70, Grant Forrest 70 70 72, Antoine Rozner (Fra) 74 70 68, Victor Perez (Fra) 74 69 69, Patrick Reed (USA) 72 72 68;
213 – Billy Horschel (USA) 74 70 69, Richard Bland 73 69 71, Will Zalatoris (USA) 70 73 70, Laurie Canter 74 71 68, Danny Willett 75 71 67, Garrick Higgo (Rsa) 73 69 71, Maximilian Kieffer (Ger) 70 70 73; 214 – Justin Harding (Rsa) 71 72 71,
Sean Crocker (USA) 69 73 72;
215 – Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) 74
73 68;
216 – Guido Migliozzi (Ita) 73 73 70,
Adrian Meronk (Pol) 68 74 74;
217 – Francesco Laporta (Ita) 71 74 72,
Tapio Pulkkanen (Fin) 67 74 76; 218 – James Morrison 71 74 73;
227 – Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 76 76 75.