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Rory McIlroy's third day at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship was going well until the final hole, where his shot found the water. The error cost him a few shots heading into the final round.
On Saturday, November 9, Rory McIlroy began the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship nine strokes off the lead. He bogeyed the first hole of the day but made six birdies over the next 14 holes. By the time he reached the par-5 18th, he was just three strokes behind leader Paul Waring.
On the final hole, the World No. 3 golfer's tee shot hit the rock on the fairway's boundary and bounced into the water. After dropping, he found a greenside bunker with his fourth shot and eventually finished with a double bogey.
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"Oh no, no, no," said a disappointed McIlroy after the error.
"Yeah, just one mistake" - Rory McIlroy reflects on his last hole error at the 2024 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Day 3
During the post-round interview, Rory McIlroy appeared disappointed with his finish in the Saturday round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. He mentioned feeling like screaming, as it was the second consecutive day where his final two holes didn’t go as planned.
"Cost myself obviously a few shots there," he said. "You know, wind got up a little bit this afternoon. So the leaders weren't getting away, which was nice and I was making a little bit of a charge. And yeah, just one mistake, that drive on 18, and with it playing so much into the wind.
"With the third shot, the layup was very difficult to try to take on the water. I had to lay up down the right and I still had 222 yards for my fourth. Yeah untimely mistake just like yesterday on 17 and dug myself a little bit of a hole to get out of," he added.
Rory McIlroy is five strokes behind Paul Waring after 54 holes. After setting a course record in the second round, Waring shot a 73 on Saturday to finish at 18-under.
The Englishman holds a one-stroke lead over Niklas Norgaard, who carded a 3-under 69 to aggregate at 17-under after three rounds. Sebastian Söderberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjørn Olesen and Shane Lowry are tied for fourth, three strokes back.
The final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship begins on Sunday, November 10 at 7 a.m. local time. Darius Van Driel, Justin Rose and Calum Hill will be the first group to resume play on the final day.
