Jon Rahm will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship, with Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy and Australia’s Adam Scott among the players breathing down his neck.
Rahm broke out of a three-way tie for the overnight lead with a six-under 66 on Saturday, picking up five shots on the back nine, including an eagle at the 11th.
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“Fantastic round. Wishing I would have hit a couple better putts in the last two holes, right, just misread those two putts. But overall, obviously very good golf,” said Rahm.
The Spaniard is 18-under overall and a stroke clear of Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta. They began the third round level with Rahm, who is playing in his first event since leaving the rebel LIV Golf tour last month.
Rahm is targeting his first win outside of LIV since triumphing at the Masters in 2023.
“It would be amazing. It’s been a good year so far. But to win again on the DP World Tour would be special,” said Rahm.
McIlroy sits two shots off the lead at Yas Links after a five-under 67, having surged with four birdies on the front nine before a double-bogey at the 10th and a dropped shot at the 17th slowed his momentum.
“Encouraged, as I played some really good golf out there but also a little rueful,” said McIlroy, who overshot the green on the par-four 10th hole and took a costly six.
He rebounded with four straight birdies but failed to find the green out of the bunker on the par-three 17th and lost ground on Rahm.
“Overall, good day. Kept myself within touching distance and I have a good shot at it tomorrow, which is all I want,” said McIlroy.
“I’m going to have to go out and shoot a low one, something in the mid to low 60s to get it done tomorrow, and that will be the goal.”
McIlroy is bidding for a fifth successive Race to Dubai title and record-equalling eighth in total. He trails Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed in this season’s standings.
Chacarra is 10 shots off the pace in Abu Dhabi, while Reed lies on a distant one-under after three rounds.
Meanwhile, Scott has remarkably gone bogey free across the opening three rounds to be 15-under par.
The 46-year-old could become the first player since Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters in flawless fashion, without recording a single bogey across the 72 holes.
“I’ve hit it pretty good really. I’ve hit a lot of greens. Obviously, haven’t had a three putt but I haven’t made everything. So there haven’t been that many birdies considering how many looks I’ve had,” Scott said.
“I’m playing pretty solid. I need a hot day with the putter tomorrow.”
Scott shot 66 to follow his opening round 68 and a second round 67.
The 2013 Masters champion’s scores a trending in the right direction, but he believes he will need a “miracle” to overcome the three-shot gap between him and Rahm to claim victory 25 years after his first on the formerly named European Tour.
“Yeah, it’d be fantastic, but it’d be a bit of a miracle,” said Scott, pondering the prospect of victory.
“There’s some pretty serious names in front of me, but you never know. You can catch a hot round out here. We saw a couple of hot rounds the first two days, and it’d be great to do it tomorrow.”
Scott will tee off alongside McIlroy and reigning Australian PGA Championship David Puig in the final round at 6.14pm AEDT on Sunday night.
While Rahm will be joined by Hatton and Laporta in the final group at 6.25pm AEDT.
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