Paul Waring noticed his snug in a single day lead reduce to a single shot heading into the ultimate spherical of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Englishman began the day 5 clear, however a one-over 73 left the door ajar for the chasing pack.
Waring’s 18-under-par whole leaves him one away from Niklas Nørgaard, with Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Thorbjørn Olesen and Sebastian Söderberg tied for third on 15 beneath.
Waring discovered a bunker along with his opening tee shot and needed to scramble par from eight toes on the first, however regarded to have settled down as he birdied the par-five second and hit his tee shot to eight toes on the brief fourth.
Nonetheless, he ran his birdie try 5 toes previous and missed the return, earlier than lacking birdie putts on the subsequent 9 holes. Discovering sand off the tee on the 14th proved pricey as he failed to save lots of par from 15 toes.
Waring had produced the shot of his life with a fairway wooden to inside 4 toes on the final on Friday, however 24 hours later ended up in a greenside bunker and needed to accept a fifteenth par of the day.
FASTER GREENS
Waring, whose final victory got here on the Nordea Masters in 2018, stated: “I’m somewhat bit disillusioned, as I felt like may I’ve actually moved ahead right this moment and put myself out of sight, however you’re at all times going to an iffy run of holes over 4 rounds, and hopefully I’ve bought mine out of the best way right this moment.
“For those who’d given me a one-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical at the start of the week I’d have snatched your hand off, so I’m attempting to stay optimistic. I’m nonetheless within the lead, and I’m wanting ahead to getting on the market tomorrow.”
Taking a look at the place he got here unstuck right this moment, he added: “I believed the greens have been 18 inches faster right this moment they usually have been simply breaking a bit greater than what I used to be studying the primary few days – a bit dryer, a bit firmer, and I simply struggled on them somewhat bit right this moment.”
“I really feel like my unhealthy golf is out of the best way now and I can kind of try to free wheel as a lot as I can tomorrow and see the place all of us lie on the finish of the day .
BEST OF THE REST
Nørgaard dropped his first shot of the week on the ninth in his spherical of 69, and admitted that he now feels at dwelling in occasions of this stature as he chases his second DP World Tour title and first on the Rolex Sequence.
It was a combined bag for Fleetwood, who recorded 4 birdies and three bogeys in his spherical of 71, as he goals to take a 3rd Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title following his victories in 2017 and 2018.
Lowry bought off to a quick begin with an eagle on the second and was was six beneath on the flip earlier than recording seven consecutive pars and ending bogey, birdie to signal for a 66.
Rory McIlroy’s hopes of victory took a giant dive when he double-bogeyed the par-five final to report a three-under 69 and sit within the pack on -13.
In the meantime Thomas Detry recorded the low spherical of the day, opening with six birdies in a row and including 4 extra after the flip in his spherical of 62, one wanting Waring’s course report on Friday.
