RORY MCILROY SITS fourth after the third round of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, trailing leader Jon Rahm by two strokes into Sunday’s final round.
Having made 11 birdies during round two, McIlroy caught fire again with seven birdies in eight holes around the turn to take a share of the lead.
But a poor finish at Yas Links saw McIlroy sign for a 67 and cede ground to Rahm, who leads 2021 winner Tyrrell Hatton and Italy’s Francesco Laporta by one shot on 18-under.
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He two-putts for birdie and ties the lead 🙌
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“I’m encouraged, because I played some really good golf, but I’m also a little rueful,” said McIlroy.
“I felt like I had some really good momentum coming off the back of the front nine, birdieing seven, eight, and nine.
“I was in a good position on 10, just the bunker shot came out a lot faster than I anticipated and then over the green. It was sort of dead from there.
“I followed a poor shot with another mistake and then ended up making a mess, making a double.
“But I fought back and made birdies on the next four holes, so it was a good bounce back, and then let it go with the bogey on 17 and not taking advantage of the last.
“Overall, a good day, kept myself within touching distance.”
Those late errors didn’t show on the front nine as McIlroy produced four birdies to reach the top of the leaderboard. He exploited both par-fives before making it three birdies on the spin with fine approach play at the eighth and ninth.
Three birdies in a row for Rory McIlroy who co-leads in Abu Dhabi 💪
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The 37-year-old, who is a four-time runner-up at this event, then endured a horror show at the par-four 10th. He drove to the greenside bunker, but his escape went over the back of the green and he struggled to get on from the rough, taking four more shots to get down from 20 yards.
A birdie at the par-five 11th steadied the ship. That sparked another birdie blitz, making it four in a row and seven in eight holes.
Rory's crazy seven-hole run on moving day 😮
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The 14th provided the most eye-catching moment as McIlroy unleashed a 352-yard drive over the water to reach the green. He two-putted to regain a share of the lead alongside Rahm, who had gone birdie-eagle-birdie after the turn.
But McIlroy lost some momentum for a finish. He coughed up a shot on the par-three 17th, hitting the bunker and unable to make the green from there. His round closed with a missed eight-footer for birdie at the last.
The upside was that the final group of Rahm, Hatton, and Laporta also failed to birdie the par-five closing hole, leaving McIlroy within two shots on 16-under.
“If I can limit the mistakes, there’s enough opportunities to make birdies out there,” he said. “If I can play a clean round of golf tomorrow, I won’t be far away.
“I’ll have to go out and shoot a low one, something in the mid to low 60s, to get it done. That’ll be the goal.”
Adam Scott, who has not registered a bogey all week, is fifth on 15-under.
McIlroy is bidding for a fifth successive Race to Dubai title and record-equalling eighth in total. He trails Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed in this season’s standings.
Chacarra is 10 shots off the pace in Abu Dhabi, while Reed lies on a distant one-under after three rounds.
On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power made the cut on the number at the World Wide Technology Championship.
The Waterford golfer, who finished runner-up at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, looked on track to contend again with five birdies inside seven holes taking him to eight-under.
However, bogeys outnumbered birdies from there and he ended with a calamitous double-bogey, taking five shots to get down from 33 yards.
His 70 left Power at five-under in a tie for 62nd, 10 strokes behind American leader Ben James, who holds a one-shot advantage over Peter Malnati.
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'Encouraged but rueful': Rory McIlroy trails Jon Rahm after Abu Dhabi third round
RORY MCILROY SITS fourth after the third round of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, trailing leader Jon Rahm by two strokes into Sunday’s final round.
Having made 11 birdies during round two, McIlroy caught fire again with seven birdies in eight holes around the turn to take a share of the lead.
But a poor finish at Yas Links saw McIlroy sign for a 67 and cede ground to Rahm, who leads 2021 winner Tyrrell Hatton and Italy’s Francesco Laporta by one shot on 18-under.
“I’m encouraged, because I played some really good golf, but I’m also a little rueful,” said McIlroy.
“I felt like I had some really good momentum coming off the back of the front nine, birdieing seven, eight, and nine.
“I was in a good position on 10, just the bunker shot came out a lot faster than I anticipated and then over the green. It was sort of dead from there.
“But I fought back and made birdies on the next four holes, so it was a good bounce back, and then let it go with the bogey on 17 and not taking advantage of the last.
“Overall, a good day, kept myself within touching distance.”
Those late errors didn’t show on the front nine as McIlroy produced four birdies to reach the top of the leaderboard. He exploited both par-fives before making it three birdies on the spin with fine approach play at the eighth and ninth.
The 37-year-old, who is a four-time runner-up at this event, then endured a horror show at the par-four 10th. He drove to the greenside bunker, but his escape went over the back of the green and he struggled to get on from the rough, taking four more shots to get down from 20 yards.
A birdie at the par-five 11th steadied the ship. That sparked another birdie blitz, making it four in a row and seven in eight holes.
The 14th provided the most eye-catching moment as McIlroy unleashed a 352-yard drive over the water to reach the green. He two-putted to regain a share of the lead alongside Rahm, who had gone birdie-eagle-birdie after the turn.
But McIlroy lost some momentum for a finish. He coughed up a shot on the par-three 17th, hitting the bunker and unable to make the green from there. His round closed with a missed eight-footer for birdie at the last.
The upside was that the final group of Rahm, Hatton, and Laporta also failed to birdie the par-five closing hole, leaving McIlroy within two shots on 16-under.
“If I can limit the mistakes, there’s enough opportunities to make birdies out there,” he said. “If I can play a clean round of golf tomorrow, I won’t be far away.
Adam Scott, who has not registered a bogey all week, is fifth on 15-under.
McIlroy is bidding for a fifth successive Race to Dubai title and record-equalling eighth in total. He trails Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed in this season’s standings.
Chacarra is 10 shots off the pace in Abu Dhabi, while Reed lies on a distant one-under after three rounds.
On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power made the cut on the number at the World Wide Technology Championship.
The Waterford golfer, who finished runner-up at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, looked on track to contend again with five birdies inside seven holes taking him to eight-under.
However, bogeys outnumbered birdies from there and he ended with a calamitous double-bogey, taking five shots to get down from 33 yards.
His 70 left Power at five-under in a tie for 62nd, 10 strokes behind American leader Ben James, who holds a one-shot advantage over Peter Malnati.
Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship DP World Tour Golf moving day Rory McIlroy