Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – Day three digest

Sunday, 10 November 2024

Paul Waring held on to his lead, there were contrasting emotions for Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy and Thomas Detry was dreaming of Dubai.

Here is everything you need to know from round three at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Waring hopes to have got 'bad golf out the way'

Waring hopes he has got his “bad golf out of the way” after seeing his lead cut to one. The 39-year-old carded a course-record 61 on Friday to go into the third round five shots clear but only made one birdie in a one-over 73 at Yas Links. Waring joked after his round: “You've got to have an average day, haven't you? I'm a little bit disappointed – I felt like I could have put myself out of sight but four rounds of golf, you're always going to have a bit of an iffy run of holes, an iffy round of golf. If beginning of the week you had given me a one-shot lead going into tomorrow, I'd have snapped your hand off. I'm trying to remain positive that I'm still in the lead, looking forward to getting out there tomorrow. I wasn't at my best today, felt a little bit jittery in total honesty. I was absolutely fine for the first few holes. Four I've hit a lovely tee-shot and three-putted and that just put me on the back foot a little bit. I didn't recover in total honesty. It's a game of golf tomorrow in the sunshine – I'm looking forward to the challenge of it now. I feel like my bad golf is out of the way now.”

Detry targets place in Dubai

Detry is looking to make a late surge for a place in next week's DP World Tour Championship after a stunning 62 in the third round. The Belgian came into the week 63rd on The Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, with only the top 50 on Sunday night progressing to Jumeirah Golf Estates. Rounds of 72 and 68 had seemingly left Detry facing a week off but he posted ten birdies in a career-low DP World Tour round to advance to 14 under par and improve his chance of climbing into the top 50. Detry said: “I just played really well. Didn't really miss any drivers. Pretty wide fairways out here, but I kept myself in position the whole round and obviously made a couple of great putts on my first few holes to get the momentum going and I kept going. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play that much on the DP Tour this year, and it's been amazing to qualify for this week. I really want to try to qualify for next week, as well. I've given myself a last final good chance tomorrow to make it, a final go to Dubai, and hopefully I can play my best golf again and be there next week.”

Mixed fortunes for Lowry and McIlroy

Lowry and McIlroy were left with contrasting emotions after the third round. Lowry moved through the field with a 66 and starts Sunday three behind Waring. McIlroy looked set to be similarly well placed until he found water off the tee at the 18th and ran up a double-bogey seven to finish with a 69 that left him 13 under for the week. “The first two days, I got off to a really average start,” said Lowry. “So just tried to get off to a better start today, and I did. I kind of kicked on over the front nine and then got a bit stale on the back nine. I'm happy with my score. It doesn't seem like the leaders are going that far away. I think I'll be within touching distance going into tomorrow, and if I can fire a low one, I can be there or thereabouts.” McIlroy admitted that he felt “a little bit” like screaming after dropping shots over the closing stretch for the second day running, having had a triple-bogey at the 17th on Friday. “Playing the last two holes in two over for two days in a row is not ideal,” he said, “Cost myself obviously a few shots there. The leaders weren't getting away, which was nice and I was making a little bit of a charge. Just one mistake, that drive on 18, and with it playing so much into the wind. Untimely mistake just like yesterday on 17 and dug myself a little bit of a hole to get out of, but depending on what the leaders do, I can still go into tomorrow feeling like I have half a chance.”