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Justin Harding will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic but he will have to hold off a host of Ryder Cup stars if he is to win a first Rolex Series title at Emirates Golf Club.
While many of those around him endured roller coaster rounds, the South African plotted his way to an impressive 71 to get to 12 under and lead the way from four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy, who carded a 69 as he also looks for a first Rolex Series win and the chance to join Ernie Els as a three time winner of the Dallah trophy.
“I think it was a fair reflection how I played. Some good things in there and a couple bad things as well and I feel like it all evened out by the end, and it was nice to birdie the last and shoot something in the 60s and play myself into the final group tomorrow" MCILROY SAID.
“It was a bit of a battling day. I think everyone felt the same thing. It's tricky out there, a bit of breeze, firm greens, pins are tucked away, it's almost better off to have a 50-footer on the green than hit a good shot and then it run-off the green and you're chipping on to those firm greens, is tricky. So there's a lot of tactics out there and just sort of A to B and trying to put yourself in the right spots. Overall, I thought anything in the 60s today was a good score.
“There's a great atmosphere out there today. Hopefully another great atmosphere tomorrow. I mean, I've played in a lot of final groups here, so it's nothing new to me at this point and I'm excited for it.
“It would be nice to get another win, especially here in Dubai. But it's obviously nice to get a win anywhere early in the season. So, I've just got to go out there tomorrow and try to play a good round of golf and hopefully it's good enough.”
McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood was then at nine under alongside South African Erik van Rooyen, a shot clear of three more members of Europe's 2020 team in defending champion Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton and Bernd Wiesberger. England's Richard Bland, Pole Adrian Meronk and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti are also amongst the group on eight under par.Pádraig Harrington, the European Captain at Whistling Straits, and another team member in Lee Westwood then completed a top 12 that has seven Major titles and ten Rolex Series wins between them.
BOTH WESTWOOD AND TYRRELL HATTON WILL BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WAY THEY FINISHED THEIR ROUNDS ON SATURDAY, WITH BOTH HOLDING OUTRIGHT AND SHARES OF THE LEAD OVER THE LAST 9 HOLES BEFORE IMPLODING. THE TEMPERAMENTAL HATTON, WINNER IN ABU DHABI LAST YEAR AND OF 4 ROLEX SERIES EVENTS, BOGEYED 12 AND 14 BEFORE MAKING A DOUBLE-BOGEY AT THE 15TH TO FALL 4 BEHIND THE LEAD.
WESTWOOD, A WINNER AT JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES, HAS NEVER WON THE DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC (HE LOST A PLAYOFF IN 2010 TO MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ) BUT WAS IN POSITION TO MAKE A RUN AT THE TITLE ON SUNDAY BEFORE BOGEY AT 14 AND A CALAMITOUS TREBLE-BOGEY 8 AT THE 18TH HANDED THE SOUTH AFRICAN HARDING THE LEAD.
BOTH WESTWOOD AND TYRRELL HATTON WILL BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WAY THEY FINISHED THEIR ROUNDS ON SATURDAY, WITH BOTH HOLDING OUTRIGHT AND SHARES OF THE LEAD OVER THE LAST 9 HOLES BEFORE IMPLODING. THE TEMPERAMENTAL HATTON, WINNER IN ABU DHABI LAST YEAR AND OF 4 ROLEX SERIES EVENTS, BOGEYED 12 AND 14 BEFORE MAKING A DOUBLE-BOGEY AT THE 15TH TO FALL 4 BEHIND THE LEAD.
WESTWOOD, A WINNER AT JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES, HAS NEVER WON THE DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC (HE LOST A PLAYOFF IN 2010 TO MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ) BUT WAS IN POSITION TO MAKE A RUN AT THE TITLE ON SUNDAY BEFORE BOGEY AT 14 AND A CALAMITOUS TREBLE-BOGEY 8 AT THE 18TH HANDED THE SOUTH AFRICAN HARDING THE LEAD.
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Harding has plenty of wins of his own, however, with two victories on the DP World Tour to go with seven on the Sunshine Tour and two on the Asian Tour, with six of those victories coming in the last four years.
He has also proven he can go low on a Sunday at Emirates Golf Club, carding a 63 en route to a top-ten finish in 2019. Yeah, I'm quite happy. I thought I played quite solid. It was a difficult day to be fair, and it some tough pins to get at. There were times when I didn't quite put the ball in play, and I couldn't really go anywhere near them. The one bogey made was from long range with the putter, a bit disappointing but would have loved to have snuck one coming in, 17 or 18, but I was happy with those." SAID HARDING.
"There are a few holes that you have need to get three on the front nine, a couple of strong par 4s and 15 and 16 are two that you need to get through on the back nine, and I didn't take advantage of 17 or 18 today. But I'm quite happy with it, and yeah, go again tomorrow.
"It's a pretty big field. Look, at the end of the day, I've just got to go out and keep doing what I'm doing, and make a couple birdies and shoot 70, 69, something like that, and make them shoot five or six under par, credit to them."
BUT IT IS HARDING'S PLAYING PARTNER IN THE FINAL GROUP WHO WILL INEVITABLY GARNER MOST OF THE FAN AND MEDIA ATTENTION. RORY MCILROY HAS A LONG-TERM EMOTIONAL TIE TO THE EMIRATES GOLF CLUB, MAKING JUST HIS FOURTH EVER DP WORLD TOUR START HERE AS A 16-YEAR-OLD AMATEUR IN 2006 BEFORE CLAIMING HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL VICTORY IN 2009, HOLDING OFF A CHARGING JUSTIN ROSE.
"It's a pretty big field. Look, at the end of the day, I've just got to go out and keep doing what I'm doing, and make a couple birdies and shoot 70, 69, something like that, and make them shoot five or six under par, credit to them."
BUT IT IS HARDING'S PLAYING PARTNER IN THE FINAL GROUP WHO WILL INEVITABLY GARNER MOST OF THE FAN AND MEDIA ATTENTION. RORY MCILROY HAS A LONG-TERM EMOTIONAL TIE TO THE EMIRATES GOLF CLUB, MAKING JUST HIS FOURTH EVER DP WORLD TOUR START HERE AS A 16-YEAR-OLD AMATEUR IN 2006 BEFORE CLAIMING HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL VICTORY IN 2009, HOLDING OFF A CHARGING JUSTIN ROSE.
MCILROY CLAIMED THE TITLE AGAIN IN 2015 AND A WIN ON SUNDAY WILL SEE HIM JOIN ERNIE ELS AS THE ONLY OTHER PLAYER TO WIN THE DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC THREE TIMES, AND COULD TAKE HIM TO THE TOP OF THE DP WORLD TOUR RANKINGS, AND SET UP A RUN TOWARDS AUGUSTA AND THE YEAR'S FIRST MAJOR.
FINAL ROUND TEE-TIMES (GMT)
0713 TYRRELL HATTON, PADRAIG HARRINGTON, LEE WESTWOOD
0724 FABRIZIO ZANOTTI, ADRIAN MERONK, RICHARD BLAND
0735 ERIK VAN ROOYEN, PAUL CASEY, BERND WIESBERGER
0746 JUSTIN HARDING, RORY MCILROY, TOMMY FLEETWOOD
SKY SPORTS GOLF BEGINS LIVE COVERAGE AT 0500 WITH FEATURED GROUPS, ALSO ON DP WORLD TOUR FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE, THEN FULL LIVE COVERAGE FROM 0700 THROUGH TO THE FINISH, WITH HIGHLIGHTS AT 6PM
FINAL ROUND TEE-TIMES (GMT)
0713 TYRRELL HATTON, PADRAIG HARRINGTON, LEE WESTWOOD
0724 FABRIZIO ZANOTTI, ADRIAN MERONK, RICHARD BLAND
0735 ERIK VAN ROOYEN, PAUL CASEY, BERND WIESBERGER
0746 JUSTIN HARDING, RORY MCILROY, TOMMY FLEETWOOD
SKY SPORTS GOLF BEGINS LIVE COVERAGE AT 0500 WITH FEATURED GROUPS, ALSO ON DP WORLD TOUR FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE, THEN FULL LIVE COVERAGE FROM 0700 THROUGH TO THE FINISH, WITH HIGHLIGHTS AT 6PM
