Dubai Desert Championship: Calum Hill still in mix after Rory McIlroy repeats 18th-hole slip up

Calum Hill was among a posse of players handed an expected opportunity by Rory McIlroy heading into the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic after the world No 1 came a cropper again on a Sunday at the 18th hole at Emirates Golf Club.

Rory McIlroy looks a tad frustrated after finishing his third round with a bogey-6 in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

“Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on me, I guess,” said McIlroy, smiling, as he reflected on taking some of the shine off a polished performance in the penultimate circuit by signing off with a bogey-6 after finding water with his second shot.

He did the exactly the same thing in the last round on the Majlis Course 12 months ago, missing out on a play-off won by Norwegian Viktor Hovland in the process. Despite this latest slip up, the four-time major winner holds a three-shot lead heading into a Monday finish, which was decided after almost ten hours of play was lost on Thursday and Friday due to flooding.

“Yeah, it's the exact same thing last year on the last day in the final round,” admitted 2009 and 2015 winner McIlroy, who could effectively have put the tournament to bed if he’d found dry land on this occasion and finished with a birdie. “It's just a bit of a hanging lie. It's not a great yardage.”

Calum Hill sits just five shots behind Rory McIlroy heading into the final round of the $9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

Part of the reason for that is down to him feeling a 3-wood is the best option for him off the tee. “If I button driver, I can go into the water, so it's a 3-wood,” he explained. “Then I was in between clubs. It was either trying to hit this, like, high cutty 3-wood, which I tried to do, or like button a 5-wood, and it was a hanging lie. Yeah, just a bad decision at the end of the day.”

A long wait to hit the second shot once again hadn’t been ideal. “The exact same scenario as the last day here on Sunday last year here,” he said of that. “But, look, if I'm in that position again, and I don't quite need to take it on, I probably won't but we'll see. Hopefully I have a cushion coming down tomorrow.”

On a day when he putted beautifully, McIlroy started the penultimate circuit with four straight birdies before adding further gains at the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th. Even with that dropped shot to finish, it added up to an impressive 65, which left him sitting on 15-under-par.

English duo Callum Shinkwin (67) and Dan Bradbuy (68) are his nearest challengers, with Edinburgh-based Frenchman Victor Perez sitting a further shot back in a group that includes LIV Golf trio Patrick Reed, Ian Poulter and Richard Bland.

“Yeah, more positive than yesterday,” said McIlroy of his day at the coalface. “Still don't quite feel in control of everything but I'm playing really efficient golf. When I'm giving myself looks, I'm taking advantage of the good shots that I'm hitting, and I'm just sort of managing my game when I don't hit a great shot here and there. I hit a couple of wild tee shots again. Hit a couple of very poor iron shots, too. Overall, it was much better today. I need to go out and do the same tomorrow.”

McIlroy’s position at the top of the world rankings was under threat from in-form Jon Rahm, but the Spaniard squandered his chance to take over the No 1 spot when he dropped out of contention in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where American Max Homa ended up claiming the spoils.

“Yeah, I have,” admitted McIlroy when it was pointed out that he’s given himself a great chance to take care of what he described as “unfinished business” in this event after that agonising finish last year. “It's a great opportunity. First week back out, have a chance to win, it's sort of what I wanted to do coming here. I think tomorrow will really show me where my game is in the final group playing with a chance to win a golf tournament, so I'm excited to see what happens.

“I've sort of sat at home watching Jon Rahm tear it up for the last sort of six weeks, and I felt like coming here, no matter what happened last night in San Diego, I want to try to come and play like the best player in the world. I have a nice opportunity to start the year with a win, and try to build off of that.”

Hill, who is making only his second start since returning to DP World Tour action after effectively having to write off 2020 due to a nerve problem, sits just five shots off the lead in a tie for 11th after picking up three shots in the last six holes to sign for a 69. “Today I didn’t have as good a game. It wasn’t as sharp,” said the 28-year-old. “I had wider misses, so it was really well managed. We put in good work today to get three-under out of it. We picked good targets, which allowed for misses, and I managed to hole three good putts on the last six holes, all from about 15 feet, including a “huge” par save at the 17th after having to take a penalty drop from a bush, which really helped the score.”

Watched this week by coach David Burns, Hill has performed admirably so far given that he only played three times in total last year before feeling he was ready to be competitive again, narrowly missing the cut on his return in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. “I’m pleased,” he admitted. “The golf has gone well and it’s nice to be back. It’s just even fun being on the first tee with some nerves again. It’s nice to be having those experiences again and I can’t complain about my position. You never know, you have a great day tomorrow and see what happens."

A realistic goal for the final day? “Just have another under par round,” he said, smiling. “It could be one under, two under or it could be seven under. As long I go out there and enjoy it and, if I hit it like I did on the first two days, then hopefully it could be a low one.”

Bob MacIntyre (69) sits on eight-under, one better than David Law after he signed for the same score, with Connor Syme (75) and Ewen Ferguson (72) on six and five-under respectively.

Reed’s round included his drive on the par-17th getting stuck up a palm tree. “I got lucky that we were able to look through the binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball and how I mark my golf balls is I always put an arrow on the end of my line, because the Pro VI the arrow on the end stop before it so you can see the arrow.

“And you could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow on the end, and the rules official luckily was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.”

Asked he felt sure it had been his ball, the American replied: “100 percent. I would have gone back to the tee if I wasn’t 100 percent.”