Dubai Championship: Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood in mid-race | Golf news

Defending champion Antoine Rozner will play the final eight holes under six to get a mid-lead at the AVIV Dubai Championship; Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Waring are just three behind the weekend.

Tommy Fleetwood is three in the middle of the lead

Tommy Fleetwood continued his first win in two years when Antoine Rozner drove midway through the AVIV Dubai Championships.

Defending champion Rozner grabbed six of the last eight holes to get an impressive 64. He held his bogey card for the second day in a row and overtook one with Joachim B Hansen, Fleetwood and Paul Waring in three strokes for the lead.

Fleetwood recovered from a bad start to make five birdies for the back ninth and returning 66 laps in a row, one better than his compatriot Waring, while Ryder Cup teammate Bernd Wiesberger was also under six a day and heading towards the series. on the weekend only four paces.

AVIV Dubai Championship Leaderboard

Third round game times

Rozner has struggled for form with his excellent win in Qatar in March, his last top 10 finish on the European Tour, but the Frenchman was inspired by his return to the Jumeirah Golf Estates Fire Course, cruising to under 15.

Fleetwood has shot 66 in a row

“I think I played really well, I just put myself in good places with a hole after the hole and a few puts dropped to the back nine, which was great,” said Rozner, who is projected to move to 15th place in the Race to Dubai race he can keep his lead over the weekend.

“It was definitely one of my best ball shots here between this year and last year. My long game was perfect, I striped it after the shot. I was left with one green at 17 and it was the only hole I made for myself.

“I’m not the only one who plays well, so you have to keep grinding for the next two days. Stay aggressive is a way of thinking, you have to be aggressive time and time again. I did it really well last year, obviously I can. Use last year’s experience and it will help me. “

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Night manager Hansen also completed the first half of the tournament without a foul on his card, adding a composite of 67 to his opening number of 63 to move to 14 alongside Francesco Laporta, who shot eight Birdie 64s.

Fleetwood was past one day after six holes before the birdie in the seventh and ninth rounds re-raised their bid for their first win after the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2019, and he flew 11th, 12th and 13th for the second consecutive day before continuing to rise. shots on the 16th and 18th.

His excellent goal put him under 12 alongside Waring, whose 67 was a great attempt considering he lost the ball in the long 13th place and ran a double bogey-seven.

Paul Waring is 12 under under Fleetwood

“I started quite nicely, but I really didn’t get into the round very well after that,” said Waring, whose only win on the Tour is still the Nordea Masters over three years ago. “I missed a couple of chances, I think I turned two under a couple and then made a good little run from there.

“Then I lost the ball down to 13, I did seven on par 5, which lifted me to the hind leg. You’re going to make a weird bad swing and sometimes they come at the wrong time, I missed it where you were. the left line and I just pulled a touch of it.

“I knew I waved it well anyway, it was just one bad swing at the wrong time. Next, par three, I hit a nice little 5-iron there at eight feet, so I felt like I’d be right back again.

“So if I get the driver moving – I’ve rocked it a little harder, which has been good, a little more confidence on my back this week, which is ideal. It gives me the confidence to drive a few times and step into the wedge distance that’s my strength.”

Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, who is ranked 12th in the Portugal Masters, has finished well under nine after rounds 68 and 67, with Paul Casey, Bob MacIntyre and Martin Kaymer one bet behind.