Tommy Fleetwood shoots 63 to take a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy into the final round of Dubai Invitational

The weather for day three at Dubai Creek was calm and extremely warm. It’s a good tournament to start DP World Tour season especially with there been no cut. 60 professional golfers participated in the Dubai Invitational and this is the first time Dubai Creek has been used for a tournament since 2000. Here is my review of what happened on Saturday at Dubai Invitational.

Rory McIlroy took a two-shot lead into day three at Dubai Invitational. McIlroy started his round with three pars which included not taking advantage of the short par four third hole. Tommy Fleetwood started his third round on seven under and got off to a perfect start with a birdie on the first hole. Fleetwood continued to eat into McIlroy’s lead with birdies at both the third and fourth hole. Fleetwood went into the lead on 11 under after hitting a fantastic shot to tap in distance at the par four sixth.

McIlroy reached 11 under after making his first birdie of the round at the par five fourth. The four-time major winner was unsuccessful in achieving a par at the fifth hole. McIlroy finished the front nine with a par to shoot 35. Fleetwood made four birdies in his first six holes to shoot a front nine of 32.

Fleetwood continued to hit impressive shots as he achieved a birdie at the par five 10th hole. McIlroy was struggling to hole a putt as he could only manage a par at the par five 10th. Fleetwood reached 12 under after holing a 45 foot birdie putt at the 12th hole. McIlroy finally got a putt to drop as he holed a 45 foot birdie putt at the par four 11th hole. McIlroy ignited as he also birdied the 12th and 13th hole to reach 13 under.

Fleetwood had an extraordinary day on the greens as he held a 30 foot birdie putt at the par three 14th hole. McIlroy kept the momentum in his favour after holing his third shot from off the green for par at the 14th hole. Fleetwood played 17 holes in eight under and was on 15 under playing the 18th hole. Fleetwood was extremely lucky that his second shot at the 18th stayed on grass and didn’t roll into the water. Fleetwood finished with a par to shoot a sensational round of 63.

McIlroy’s flatstick warmed up on the back nine as he rolled in a birdie putt at the 16th hole to reach 14 under. McIlroy was unsuccessful in finding the fairway at the short par four 17th and had to settle for a par. The Northern Irishman was also fortunate that he avoided the water with his second shot at the 18th hole. McIlroy rolled in a short-range par putt to shoot an impressive round of 67. Fleetwood is on 15 under and one ahead of McIlroy on 14 undergoing into tomorrow’s final round.

Fleetwood has made improvements in his swing due to the work he is doing with Butch Harmon. Fleetwood takes a lead into the final round of a DP World Tour event for the first time since 2014. Fleetwood has now shot seven consecutive rounds in the 60s in both 2023 DP World Tour Championship and this week’s Dubai Invitational. McIlroy looks extremely comfortable over putts due to the hard work that he has done with Brad Faxon over the last few years.

It’s set up to be an exciting final round between the two 2023 Europe Ryder Cup stars from Marco Simone and the two lowest ranked players in the Dubai Invitational. It’s not just a two-horse race between Fleetwood and McIlroy as Thorbjorn Olesen shot a third round of 66. Olesen held a couple of fantastic putts at both the 16th and 17th hole to go into the final round three behind Fleetwood. Twiston Lawrence made three birdies on the back nine but finished with a moment of madness as he putted his birdie effort off the green at the 18th which resulted in a bogey. Lawrence approaches the final round in a tie for fourth on 11 under. Lawrence isn’t the only South African in the top five as Zandar Lombard is also in a tie for fourth on 11 under.

England’s Jordan Smith played his third round with Fleetwood at Dubai Creek. Smith made three birdies in five holes on the back nine to shoot 67. Smith is also in a tie for fourth on 11 under. Germany’s Yannik Paul played in today’s final group with McIlroy. Paul had a double bogey at the seventh hole but rallied to shoot a round of 69. Paul goes into the final round on 10 under and in a tie for seventh. American Sean Crocker had an incredible round of 66 to also be in a tie for seventh on 10 under.

Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard made two excellent putts for birdie at both the 16th and 17th hole. Hojgaard is the third player in a tie for seventh on 10 under after shooting a round of 67. Poland’s Adrian Meronk makes up the top 10 on eight under. It’s good to see 2018 The Open winner Francesco Molinari and 2025 Europe Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald both return to form as they are in the top 15 heading into the final round. Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is also in a tie for 15th on six under. It’s going to be a low scoring final round with nine players in five shots of the lead and hope you enjoy it.