Summary Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald maintained lead after 3rd round of the Dubai World Championship.
Rory McIlroy sank two big putts down the stretch Saturday to remain tied with Luke Donald atop the leaderboard, as the world s two top-ranked golfers pulled three shots clear of the star-studded field going into the final round of the Dubai World Championship.
The top-ranked McIlroy, who has already wrapped up the European and PGA Tour money titles, struggled early when he bogeyed the first hole and missed several makeable birdie putts. But he improved on the back nine, sinking a 30-foot eagle putt on 14 and closing out with a short birdie putt on 18 for a 6-under 66. Donald also had a 66 and is tied with McIlory with a 17-under total of 199.
Donald had his third consecutive bogey-free round and has now gone 100 holes at the Dubai tournament without a bogey.
If he wins Sunday without carding a bogey, he will match the feat of Sweden s Jesper Parnevik who won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters without dropping a shot.
South Africans Louis Oosthuizen (68) and Charl Schwartzel (67) are three shots back, while their compatriot Branden Grace and Joostis Luiten of France are a further two shots behind. Seven others are six shots off the pace, including Scotsman Marc Warren who started the day tied with McIlroy and Donald but had three bogeys on his first 12 holes to fall back.
The round of the day, however, went to Jeev Milkha Singh. Still recovering from a hand injury and worried about his mother who was hospitalized after a fall, the Indian golfer shot an 8-under 64 to match the course record and move into a tie for 25th. He strung together three consecutive birdies on the front nine and four straight on the back in a round that included a total of nine birdies to go with a lone bogey on the 10th.
Though McIlroy and Donald didn t play together, it seemed the world s top golfers were having a duel of sorts all day.
Donald struck first, sinking two birdie putts on the first three holes while McIlroy hit his opening drive into a bunker and settled for a bogey. McIlroy pulled a shot back with a birdie on 3 and then sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole before Donald sank birdies on 7 and 9 to extend his lead. But just when it seemed Donald might pull away, McIlroy made consecutive birdies on 11 and 12. With Donald extending his lead by two with a 20-foot birdie putt on 14, McIlroy needed something special to keep pace.
On the par-5 14th, McIlroy hit what he called a "great drive" followed by a 4-iron that landed in the middle of the green. He curled the 30-foot putt to draw even with Donald.
Donald and McIlroy were not alone at the top all day. 2010 British Open winner Oosthuizen made a run midway with four birdies in five holes before cooling off and three-putting for par on 18. His playing partner, 2011 Masters champion
Schwartzel, also started strong with two birdies on the first three holes and had the shot of the day when his second on the par-5 7th almost went in. But then he fell back with a bogey on 8 and 10 and missed a birdie putt on 18.
Donald and then McIlroy birdied the 18th to set up a season-ending duel between No. 1 and No. 2 something not seen since last year when Donald won the BMW PGA Championship in a playoff with Lee Westwood to replace him at the top.
Though the Northern Irishman has the top ranking locked up, a victory on Sunday would affirm his claim to be the world s best golfer heading into 2013.
