DUBAI – WORLD No3 Rory McIlroy produced a magical bunker shot in his final effort of the day for a birdie that kept him in contention, two shots off the pace, at the DP World Tour Championship on Thursday.
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With the Englishman only 1,614 points off the lead last week, if he wins the DP World Tour Championship, there is nothing McIlroy can do to prevent him from returning home with the Harry Vardon Trophy in his suitcase, along with the title of the European Tour Champion.
“It’s a course that has been good for me and I really enjoy playing”.
Meantime Rory McIlroy is in a strong position, tied in sixth. “My putter just seemed to get insane hot from there and everything I looked at pretty much went in”.
The 35-year-old enters the European Tour’s season finale as one of seven players who can scoop the bonus pot for ending up as the top money earner this year.
Asked to give himself a mark for the season, Rose said: ” I think having won in Hong Kong, I think it goes up to certainly the B-plus, A-minus range.
Birdies at the fifth and seventh fueled his momentum and he followed up with gains at the eleventh and fourteenth holes, making up for a bogey on the 13th, and polishing things off with a final birdie at the last.
“There were some highlights with the striking as well, so I’ll just try to finish with some good scores, some good swings and putts”.
Stenson admitted he was lacking mental focus at the end of a long year which will finally come to an end in South Africa in a fortnight, before the 39-year-old undergoes a minor knee operation in December. Out of the last seven weeks I’ve played, I’ve finished inside the top 10 five times. “He’s been a part of that team for so many years”, Poulter said.
Stenson is seeking a third consecutive victory in Dubai but a first win of a season that has produced five runners-up finishes and five other top 10s.
McIlroy was taken aback to learn that Tiger Woods has been named a vice-captain for next year’s Ryder Cup, admitting it raises further questions about the 14-time major winner’s career.
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Playing alongside McIlroy, Grillo carded eight birdies in a flawless 64, the lowest round of the week, to maintain the form which saw him win the Web.com Tour Championship and Frys.com Open in the space of a fortnight last month. It’s taken record-breaking performances to prevent me from winning. “I felt like it was a little bit of a struggle at times but to finish the way I did makes it feel a lot better”, he said.
