Rory McIlroy is confident of commencing a New Year with an historic first and victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
McIlroy just gets better with each round of 2018 birding his closing two holes in a round of 65 to be in third place at 16-under and just one adrift of the leading duo of Thomas Pieters (67) and Ross Fisher (65).
Walking Tall .. Rory McIlroy shoots 65 day three in 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. (Photo – European Tour/Gettys)
He had commenced on Thursday with a 69 and the eagled his last hole on day two in a round of 66.
The four-time Major winning McIlroy has been runner-up four times in the UAE capital and now after a miserable 2017 spoilt by a nagging rib-injury the Northern Irishman is looking to achieve something he has not done before in now his 11-year pro career.
“It would mean a lot to win my first event of a New Year,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls here, I think about six top threes or something like that. I’ve never won my first start back out. I was close last year in South Africa, Stormy beat me in a playoff. It would mean a lot.
“It’s felt like awhile since I’ve won and just to give myself these chances; I gave myself a chance at the end of the year at Close House and wasn’t able to do it. Paul Dunne played too well for me. I’m excited to get back on the horse and give myself another chance tomorrow.”
As McIlroy rightfully pointed out he went close to victory a year ago only to lose out in a play-off to England’s Graeme Storm at the BMW SA Open.
But then that was an occasion McIlroy was clearly not at full health given the clear site through his shirt of strips of medical blue adhesive tape on his back, and the legacy of over-doing his off-season practice working with new clubs,
Though clearly no such concern now.
“I’m really pleased and as I said all week, I felt like this is where my game was in practice, but it’s always different trying to go from the range on to the golf course, and even in practise rounds, I felt like I was playing well but it’s still different whenever you get a card in your hand and you’re in competitive play,” he said.
“But to see how I’ve played over the past three days and how comfortable I’ve been out there hitting certain shots and scoring and getting up-and-down, and just really getting my golf head back on. I’ve been really pleased with that part of it.”
McIlroy produced his only bogey of his three rounds and that was the par-3 15th and with the dropped shot sandwiched among an impressive haul of eight birdies.
Fellow Irishman Paul Dunne, who had brilliantly held off McIlroy to capture last year’s British Masters, cannot be discounted having posted a similar 65 of eight birdies and one bogey to be sharing ninth place at 13-under par and only four shots off the lead.
And like McIlroy, Dunne has also only posted one bogey over his three rounds and that coming at the sixth hole on day two.
“The scoring has been good and that is because the last two days, there was no wind, or next to no wind, maybe five miles an hour or something,” he said.
“The greens are rolling well, and if you get no wind and good greens, the scoring is always going to be good for people who are playing well. I think tomorrow, more wind in the forecast and I expect the scoring to be more moderate. But yeah, it seems like a birdie-fest, especially playing with Matt. He was 8-under through ten. I was 4-under through ten and I felt like I was 2-over. It was a good group.”
And now as a European Tour winner Dunne has all the confidence in the world of reeling in both Pieters and Fisher as well as denying McIlroy for a second time in his short pro career.
“Yeah, maybe I am a bit more confident going into the final round, because I’ve done it before, I know I can do it,” he said.
“Before you win your first one, you kind of hope you can do it and you think you can, but if you haven’t done it, you’re not 100 per cent sure. I know I can hit shots when I need to. It’s just that hopefully it’s my week.”
