DP World Tour : Hero Dubai Desert Classic Leaderboard
Daniel Hillier says victory in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic would be “life-changing” as he prepares to take a one-shot lead into the final round at Emirates Golf Club.
The New Zealander had been four shots clear at one stage on Saturday after three birdies in his first five holes.
However, three consecutive bogeys from the 13th left the door ajar for the chasing pack and England's Tyrrell Hatton took full advantage with a 68 to set the clubhouse target at -12.
Hillier responded with a birdie from six feet at the 17th, then cleared the water by a whisker with his second to the last to set up a routine up-and-down gain as he signed for a -2 70 and -13 total.
“It was a grind,” said Hillier, who won his only previous DP World Tour title at the 2023 Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo. “I figured it was going to be that at the start of the day with all that wind. It was tough but I enjoyed it out there. Have a crack at it tomorrow.“
“It would be life-changing. Last year was pretty tough. It was a bit of a grind. I was getting pretty frustrated with myself towards the end of the year. Gave myself a little bit of a break and time to reset, and I'm feeling refreshed. Yeah, excited for tomorrow.”
Overnight leader Ewen Ferguson shot a +2 74 to lie third on -10 with England's Laurie Canter and New Zealand's Ryan Fox tied for fourth a shot further back at -9
Ferguson touts Tyrrell Hatton to be " the man to beat" although he will be in the final pairing with him and Hillier.
“I'll just do my own wee thing, and Tyrrell probably is the man to beat, let's be honest," said Ferguson of his Great Britain & Ireland Team Cup teammate.
“He's a bit of a superstar. Pressure doesn't seem to bother him too much. He's got the full package in his golf game."
As for Hatton this is what he had to say:
“It was pretty tough out there to be honest,” he said. “The wind was swirling around which made it hard to get the right club at times, especially around the middle of the round. It felt like it really picked up for a moment there, and certainly made things challenging. But I'm happy with the finish. So good position going into tomorrow.
edit *** Rory is T12 well back of the leaders 70 71 69 -6, Tommy Fleetwood shot 74 yesterday to move well down the field. Remember this is a Muslim country so the event finishes on Saturday.
The wind is listed as persistent WNW 10-15mph for the final round.
europpeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
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