On the final day of the Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy appeared out of nowhere, giving himself a chance to actually defend his title.
Rory McIlroy, who emerged from nowhere to contend at the Dubai Desert Classic, recorded his lowest moving day score in over 17 months.
The DP World Tour leader Cameron Young led McIlroy, 34, by an astonishing 10 shots going into the third round of the competition.
However, McIlroy had taken the lead by the time he completed his round, finishing at 9-under 63.
Later, America’s Young shot 1-under 71 to take back the lead going into the last day at 14-under.
He has two more than McIlroy and Adrian Meronk of Poland.
Though they appear too far back to make a move, the Hojgaard brothers, Haotong Li, Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjorn Olesen, and Alex Fitzpatrick are also among the top ten.
Joaquin Niemann of LIV Golf is alone in sixth place and is vying for a spot at the Masters. Niemann’s victory at the Australian Open has already guaranteed him a starting spot at this year’s tournament.
Regarding McIlroy, he played a perfect third round.
He made a birdie to start, then additional strokes at 3, 7, 8, and 9. At Emirates Golf Club, he made birdies on the tenth and twelfth holes before finishing with an eagle.
What they said…
Asked what keeps driving him, Rory McIlroy explained…
“I think the fact that I turn up every day and still trying to get better, I think the consistency that I’ve shown throughout my career, I’ve never lost the hunger to go out and play better but I’ve never lost the joy of the game, which I think is really important. It’s never felt like a job to me and the day it does feel like a job it is the day I need to give up.”
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