McIlroy on form as he aims for No 1 spot
Rory McIlroy has yet to taste victory on his first start in a season in 13 years as a professional. With the world No 1 position on the line, this could be the perfect time to redress that anomaly.
Certainly the 30-year-old will have a shot at the Farmers Insurance Open he requires to leapfrog Brooks Koepka and so top the rankings for the first time in almost five years. A third-round 67 at Torrey Pines hurtled him to nineunder and into tantalising contention.
McIlroy was kicking himself in one sense, because if his putter had been anywhere close to its best behaviour then he could have truly fired a low number on the difficult South Course at the San Diego resort. However, his frustration was tempered by the form of his long game. McIlroy’s irons, in particular, were pin sharp.
Tiger Woods will have his own extra incentive to win as he tries to lift a record 83rd PGA Tour title. After a two-hour delay to his round because of fog, the 44-year-old compiled a thirdround 69 that was a typical rollercoaster; picking up four birdies in a front-side 32, before hanging on, to get in on seven-under for the tournament.
“I’ll have to post a low one tomorrow,” he said. No doubt, but Woods has won eight times at Torrey – the scene of his unforgettable 2008 US Open triumph – and it would take a brave person to write him off.
In the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, all eyes will be on the first tee at 12.38pm local time when Eddie Pepperell and Bryson DeChambeau go off in a long-awaited two-ball.
Both are in contention to win the £415,000 first prize, although there will be as much interest in the interaction between the pair as there will be in the leaderboard. The animosity between them began last August when DeChambeau took 2mins 20secs to hit an eight-foot putt at the Northern Trust.
Pepperell expressed sympathy for DeChambeau’s playing partners, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, labelling DeChambeau an “unaffected single minded twit” who “doesn’t care much for others”.
DeChambeau was not pleased. “When you start personally attacking people on Twitter, it ’s like, come on, dude. Let’s have some balls to come up and speak to m me to my face about that,” he said.
Pepperell h has yet to do so and after discovering who he was playing with today twee tweeted: “Fully understand if Bry Bryson wants to keep hittin ting it 40 [ yards] past me to tomorrow so we don’t have to chat.”
DeChambeau, the defending champion, is on nine-under alongside Tom Lewis after a 70 three off the pace set by China’s Ashun Wu. Frenchman Victor Perez is on 10-under, with Pepperell on eight-under and another Englishman in Tommy Fleetwood on seven under.