McIlroy rues disappointing finish in Dubai

Rory McIlroy roared into the lead with a dazzling front nine of 31 at the Dubai World Championship today, but then saw his form drop off for a disappointing finish.

McIlroy had been on course for a €1.8m bonanza on Sunday. Just when it looked like being a day to remember for him, he three-putted the long 14th and did the same on the next, missing from three feet both times.

Both were for bogeys and at the 15th he was lucky it was not worse as he had driven into a bush but was able to get the ball on the green without taking a penalty drop.

He was back to seven under and down to joint third with Lee Westwood, with Padraig Harrington grabbing another birdie on the 14th to stand nine under and Robert Allenby picking up shots at the 10th and 11th to be eight under.

McIlroy parred in and had to be bitterly disappointed with a 69 given how he started. He came home in 38 and only two players all day had shot worse than that.

As that happened Westwood hit his approach to seven feet on the 486-yard 16th and made it for a three – his first birdie since the second – that put him one behind Harrington.

Earlier, joint fifth after an opening 68 and two shots behind Order of Merit rival Westwood, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman eagled the 572-yard seventh and birdied the first, second and ninth.

At nine under par McIlroy, leading the “Race to Dubai” by more than €127,000 and trying to become the youngest European Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, was one ahead of Westwood.

McIlroy was two clear when Westwood bogeyed the 461-yard eighth and it was Harrington who then cut the gap to one.

The three-time major winner also eagled the seventh and followed that with three successive birdies to reach eight under.

Westwood - the 2000 money list winner had moved into a two-stroke lead by matching McIlroy’s start, but then had to be content with five successive pars.

That included the long seventh, where McIlroy’s approach had rolled down a slope to within four feet of the flag.

McIlroy had said he was happy not to be paired with Westwood after he lost their head-to-head by two yesterday, but it looked as if they might be back together for the third round.

Sharing third place on seven under were Padraig Harrington, Colombian Camilo Villegas and South African Louis Oosthuizen, overnight leader Robert Allenby having bogeyed the first and fourth to drop down to five under.

German Martin Kaymer and England’s Ross Fisher were the other two players still in with a chance of the Order of Merit crown, but they had to finish fourth and second respectively and that looked a remote possibility when they reached halfway on two under and level par respectively.

Kaymer still had high hopes when he went to the turn in 34 and with two to play stood four under, but a bad chip on the 17th was followed by a trip to the water on the last.

Both led to bogeys and, when asked if he liked the course after signing for another 71, he said: “No comment.”

The Greg Norman-designed Earth course is set to be the venue for the Order of Merit climax for at least the next four years and Kaymer added: “We have to love it for four days and then forget about it.”

Fisher also shot 71, a two-shot improvement on the first day, and commented: “I’m really disappointed. I felt I played really, really well but now I’ve just got to try to go for everything.

“I’d be lying if I said it was my favourite course. It’s not a bomber’s course and it’s not a plodder’s course and I just think the greens could be a little bit smaller.

“I also think you should be able to see a lot more greens with your second shot. I think you could be counting on one hand the greens you can actually see.

“It’s bizarre. You hit a good shot and you hit it right down the flag and it could be stiff or it could be 30 feet. You just don’t know.”