Fleetwood grabs Dubai lead
McIlroy cools, trails by a stroke
Tommy Fleetwood surged into the lead of the Dubai Invitational after shooting an 8-underpar 63 in the third round Saturday to overtake Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
Fleetwood made eight birdies in a flawless round, including four on his first six holes, to move to a 15-under total of 198.
McIlroy had been out in front since opening with a 62 Thursday and led by two strokes going into the third round. But he settled for a 67 that left him in sole possession of second place.
Thorbjorn Olesen was another two shots back in third after a 66.
Fleetwood has six wins on the European Tour but was surprised when he was told that this is the first time since 2014 that he is going into the final round with the lead.
“That’s a strange stat,” Fleetwood said, adding that his early birdies gave him momentum with the putter. “It’s funny really when you get a day like that, and you’re just looking at them and you feel like . . . even the putts that miss come close.”
His approach shots weren’t bad either. He came within a few inches of holing out for eagle from 147 yards on the par-4 sixth hole.
McIlroy found himself three shots behind Fleetwood at one point but had four birdies on the back nine to keep alive his chances of opening the season with a win. That included a 34footer on the 11th after hitting his tee shot into a bunker.
“I think just first week back, being in the final group, I started feeling a little bit of the buzz and the pressure, trying to win a golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “You think you know where your game is until you play in it in a situation like that.”
PGA — Keegan Bradley birdied his last two holes for a 7-under 63, giving him a share of the lead with Grayson Murray in a Sony Open in Honolulu that is far from a two-man race.
Six players were within three shots of the lead, typical for Waialae. It was so chaotic on a gorgeous afternoon up the shores from Waikiki that 10 players had at least a share of the lead at some point in the third round.
Getting some separation was tough, though Bradley and Murray at least got a little.
Bradley hit a cut 6-iron to a back pin to 6 feet for birdie on the par-3 17 th, and then his tee shot on the par-5 closing hole avoided the bunker. He had a good enough lie to get it on the green for a two-putt birdie.
That put him at 14-under 196. Murray soon joined him, getting up-and-down from the bunker left of the 18th green for his 64.
They led by one shot over Sam Stevens, who had a 63.
Among those still in the mix is Chris Kirk (67). He won The Sentry last week and at three shots behind can still entertain hopes of joining Justin Thomas in 2017 and Ernie Els in 2004 to sweep the Hawaii swing.
Bradley, a former PGA champion, will be trying to win for the third time in 16 months. He will be in the final group with Murray, a raw talent who went to three colleges and was battling alcohol problems three years ago, including one incident in Honolulu.
He thinks he has turned the corner, and he took plenty of inspiration from Kirk, who also had to step away from golf in 2019 to address alcoholism and depression.
The group at 11-under 199 includes Matthieu Pavon of France, one of 10 players to earn PGA Tour cards through the European Tour points list last year. Pavon ran off five straight birdies at the end of his second round, and he was among those leading Saturday until he settled into a string of pars and one bogey on the back.