McIlroy stays in Dubai lead
Rory McIlroy hit wedge into 5 feet for birdie on the 18th hole for a 2-under 70 to regain the outright lead Friday in the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates.
The chief challenge for McIlroy came from an American — but it wasn’t Tiger Woods.
Brooks Koepka, who earned his European Tour card in 2013 by winning three times on the Challenge Tour, made seven birdies against no bogeys for a 65 that left him one shot behind McIlroy going into the weekend.
Woods, meanwhile, hit only four fairways and had to rely on some key putts to salvage a 73. He was in a tie for 44th, eight shots out of the lead.
McIlroy was at 11-under 133.
He appeared to be in control at Emirates Golf Club, leading by three shots after his birdie at No. 10. But he drove wildly into the waste area on the par-5 13th and the par-4 16th holes, both leading to bogeys, before recovering on the 18th.
“It was nice to birdie the last and at least give myself a one-shot lead going into tomorrow,” McIlroy said. “I will just go back tonight and sort of regroup and realize I am still leading the tournament. I was more frustrated on the back nine, as the back nine is where you want to build your score after playing the harder front nine.”
Danny Willett of England, who began his week by jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet, had a 65 and shared third place with Damien McGrane of Ireland (70) and Julien Quesne of France (70)
Henrik Stenson, who won the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup in 2013, had a 67 and was four shots behind.
Woods, trying to join Ernie Els as the only three-time winners of the Dubai Desert Classic, opened with a birdie on his third hole and the highlights were few after that. His only other birdie was on the par-3 11th, with a shot into 2 feet.
Instead of going to the practice range after his round, he Struggles a little on back side but still shoots 70 conducted a clinic with Mark O’Meara.
“I was on so many parts of the golf course that I got to meet so many people, signed so many autographs out there and gave a lot of balls away,” Woods joked with the crowd. “Seriously, I was just hitting it sideways.”
Other tournaments
Phoenix Open: Phil Mickelson made it to the weekend in Scottsdale, Ariz. Another popular left-hander and a fellow former Arizona State player set the pace. A week after withdrawing from Torrey Pines because of back pain, Mickelson shot a 4-under 67 in his afternoon round at cool and breezy TPC Scottsdale. The defending champion was eight strokes behind leaders Bubba Watson and Matt Jones.
“I’m not totally out of it,” Mickelson said. “Obviously, heading into the weekend, I’d like to be closer, but as we have seen in the past, there is that 8-, 9-, 10-, in some cases 11-under par round out there.”
Mickelson, a three-time champion, has shot 11-under 60 twice in this event, in the second round in his 2005 victory and a year ago in the first round. Watson, a long-hitting left-hander who won the 2012 Masters, followed his opening 64 with a 66 to reach 12 under. Jones, an Australian who played at Arizona State and lives in Scottsdale, shot backto-back 65s.
New Zealand Women’s Open: New Zealand’s Stacey Tate stole the limelight from her illustrious compatriot Lydia Ko by shooting a 4-under 68 to share the lead with South Korea’s Seon Woo Bae after the opening round in Christchurch. Ko was among five players who 69.