Ernie Els recovered from the shock of four putting the first green to give chase to Miguel Angel Jiménez and end an enthralling third day of the Dubai Desert Classic just one stroke behind the durable Spaniard and two in front of a familiar figure in Colin Montgomerie.
Huge crowds thronged the Emirates Golf Club as three of the world’s greatest players jostled for position at the top of the leaderboard. Eventually, as the sun and the dust settled over Dubai, Jiménez sat at the head of affairs on 200, 16 under par, after a round of 68 with Els on 201 after a 67 and Montgomerie on 203 following a blistering 66.
Right behind the leading trio are Welshman Stephen Dodd on 204 after a 69 while Lee Westwood of England is one stroke further adrift following a 67 which could have been several shots better.
The stage is set for an exciting last day, in which Jiménez chases his sixth tile in the last 14 months, Els hopes to become the first three-time winner of the tournament and Montgomerie goes in search of the top two finish which would propel him back into the world’s top 50 with all the attendant benefits.
However, the biggest surprise of the day was the four putt which brought Els an unexpected double bogey at the first hole and dropped him four strokes behind Jiménez. It spoke volumes for his composure that he went on to out-score the Spanish Ryder Cup player over the full 18 holes with a glorious haul of seven birdies.
Els, though, took the setback in his stride and joked afterwards: “I don’t know what I did on the first. It shows you are never too old to learn and that you have to respect the old game!
“I did try on every putt, believe me. To hit two good shots and have an 18-20 footer for birdie and walk off with a double bogey isn’t the start you want. I never want to start a round with a bogey and a double is a disaster. A lot of things were flying around in my head. Still, it happens every now and again – a couple of times a year probably.”
Els, who won the title in 1994 and 2002, was effusive in his praise of Jiménez, who grabbed the lead from the South African at halfway and clung on to it in the face of intense pressure.
“The way Miguel is playing, you are going to have to play well to beat him” he said. “He’s had three really good years and is very comfortable with his game. He is where he wants to be now, I think. He’s played in the Ryder Cup and won some really good tournaments. He’s an old seasoned campaigner who is happy with himself and his game.
“Monty is only three shots behind and you also feel you have to play well to beat him tomorrow.”
Jiménez looked sound for all 18 holes, never really looking like dropping a shot. He said: “My game is still there and I hope it will be there for one more day, What happened for Ernie at the first can happen to anybody and you can’t afford to think about that and lose concentration.”
Montgomerie, full of the joys of life these days after his unhappy 2004, knows that he needs to finish in the top two to get back inside the world’s top 50, and caught the assembled media by surprise with his assessment of the situation.
“It’s like trying to eat an elephant” he claimed. “I can do it, but only bite by bite. You can’t do it all in one go. So I’m trying to do that – just chipping away, chipping away and trying to get back to a ranking that I am comfortable with.”
Montgomerie, the champion nine years ago, when he overcame Jiménez on the final day, made a shaky start with a bogey but struck back with seven birdies in his 66. He was a shade unlucky with birdie putts at the 15th, 16th and 17th then watched a ten footer for an eagle at the last die at the hole.
Undaunted, he tapped in for a final birdie and said: “I feel really good about everything. I need a 66 or 65 minimum tomorrow, or something like that, to have a chance. I have to finish first or second on my own to get into the top 50 tomorrow and that means I’ve got to beat either Ernie or Miguel. It’s a challenge and one I look forward to.”
