Tommy Fleetwood single-handedly climbed the leaderboard to take the lead after competing in the lower rounds at Saturday's Dubai Invitational.
He shot an 8-under 63 on Saturday, his best score by three strokes. He finished with a total of 15 under par, one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy.
“I felt like I played really well, got a perfect start and got some momentum early on, but yesterday I didn't have that,” Fleetwood said of his impressive third round.
The British player started the day with four birdies in his first six holes. He started the round with a 20-footer for birdie on the first, firing on all cylinders as he paraded around the front nine of Dubai Creek.
On the other hand, McIlroy made one birdie and one bogey on the 9th hole on his way out, posting an even par of 35. At least he didn't make another quadruple bogey on the par-3 8th hole.
“It was another bit of a slow start,” McIlroy said.
“Well, I started off a little slow, but I picked it up on the back nine. I shot four under on the back to catch up with Tommy. And, you know, I played well on the back nine and , I could get tea time with him tomorrow, and it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it.”
McIlroy closed with a 4-under 67 on Saturday thanks to a string of birdies on his back nine. The Northern Irishman hit three in a row on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes, then hit another shot from 21 feet on the par-3 16th.
Fleetwood also continued to perform well on the back nine, making three birdies in a row. The British player birdied the 12th, 13th and 14th holes. The par breakers on the 12th and 14th came from distance: 35 feet on the 12th and 27 feet on the 14th.
On top of that, he 4 on on the 10th par 5thus carding a 4-under 32 on the backside.
His putter caught fire, which helps explain why he had the highest score of the day. He also gave himself many chances. Fleetwood hit 16 of the required 18 greens.
“I hit some really nice putts early on. I was rolling the ball well. Attack the greens well,” Fleetwood said.
“You know, they went my way today. Yeah, once you start hitting holes and get into that rhythm and flow, it gives you a little bit more confidence… so it's a good day to get out on the course. ”
Fleetwood holds a 54-hole lead in a DP World Tour event for the first time in 10 years. However, with McIlroy one shot behind, it will be difficult to get a deal done.
Nevertheless, Fleetwood has found himself in such high-pressure situations before. In the end, he closed the door on Americans at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
He and McIlroy will make up the final pairing and tee off at 3:10 a.m. ET, which certainly won't disappoint. Broadcast of the final round of the Dubai Invitational begins at 2:30 a.m. ET on Golf Channel.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
