Rory sets up possible Reed showdown
Brilliant finishes from Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed raised the tantalising prospect of a showdown between the pair as the Hero Dubai Desert Classic headed for a Monday finish.
Following a second delay of the week due to flooding at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy returned to the course yesterday facing a short birdie putt on the par-three seventh, his 16th hole.
The world number one calmly converted from four feet, then holed out from a fairway bunker on the eighth for an unlikely eagle and rounded off his morning’s work in style with another birdie on the difficult ninth.
That gave the two-time winner a six-under-par 66 which was matched by Reed, the former
Masters champion finishing on the other side of the course by holing from 15 feet for eagle on the par-five 18th.
By the time the first round was belatedly concluded, McIlroy and Reed found themselves a shot behind world number one amateur Ludvig Aberg and Ian Poulter, who both shot 65 and enjoyed a brief break before starting round two.
Poulter covered his first three holes in one under par to share the lead with fellow LIV player Richard Bland on eight under, Bland starting with three straight birdies before play was suspended due to the fading light.
The second round will be completed today, with the third round taking place tomorrow and the fourth on Monday.
“Honestly not very good,” McIlroy said when asked to assess his overall performance. “I struggled out there most of yesterday.
“I thought I did well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy, rusty golf over the first 14 holes.
“And then today I came out and I don’t really know if anything clicked because I don’t think I hit enough shots to know. But it was definitely needed. I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus.”
Reed had completed 16 holes of his first round in four under and resumed yesterday with a par on the short par-four 17th before a closing eagle.