Tommy Fleetwood fired a brilliant bogey-free 63 to set up a mouthwatering final-day duel with Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Invitational.
The Englishman started the third round three shots behind his Ryder Cup team-mate but held a three-shot advantage of his own at one point as he made eight birdies to get to 15 under at Dubai Creek Resort.
Related: Rory McIlroy keeps Dubai lead despite quadruple bogey
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McIlroy is made of stern stuff, however, and he also came home in 32 to sign for a 67 and sit just one shot behind with 18 holes to play.
Fleetwood has won twice in the United Arab Emirates down the road in Abu Dhabi but is looking for a first win in Dubai and seventh on the DP World Tour.
The 32-year-old finished 2023 with a runner-up finish at the DP World Tour Championship and after flying in from the PGA TOUR season-opener in Hawaii, he takes a lead into the final round of a DP World Tour event for the first time since 2014.
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The duo were also doing battle in the team event, with Fleetwood’s partner Ali Fatourechi taking the title in the 54-hole competition at 24 under, with tournament host and McIlroy’s partner from Thursday and Saturday Abdulla Al Naboodah finishing on the same total but losing out on final-round score.
Dane Thorbjørn Olesen was at 12 under in the individual event, one clear of South African duo Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard and England’s Jordan Smith.
Tommy Fleetwood: I felt I played very well, got off to the perfect start and got momentum early on, which I didn’t have yesterday.
And then, yeah, that little patch through the middle of the back nine, where you just start seeing putts going in. It’s funny when you get a day like that and you’re just looking at them and you just feel like you can come close.
You know, today they went my way. Yeah, just a bit of confidence when you start holing some and just get in that rhythm and that flow.
My partners this week I know very well. I’ve been lucky with the partners that I’ve had. Coming down the stretch there in contention for those guys is a really cool thing and, again, one of the great things about a format like this.
Rory McIlroy: Shot four under on the back to try to keep up with Tommy. And, you know, played well that back nine and earned myself a tee time with him tomorrow, and it’ll be good fun. I’m looking forward to it.
I felt a little bit of pressure on the back nine today because I was trying to get over the line for the team event. But I think just first week back, being in the final group, started feeling a little bit of the buzz and the pressure, trying to win a golf tournament.
Abdulla has been a big part of the game of golf in this region, and the DP World Tour as well. He’s a board member of the DP World Tour for the last year or so. And he cares deeply about the game. And for him to bring everyone to Dubai and put on a Pro-Am like this, he should be really proud of the work that he’s done to do that.
