So here’s how it all unfolded in the desert—Abu Dhabi was nothing short of a nail-biter as Round 3 threw more curves than a sidewinder at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Englishman, Paul Waring, who looked like he had a comfortable cushion to lounge on with a five-shot lead at the start, saw it whittled down to a precarious one-shot advantage by the day’s end.
With an uncharacteristic one-over 73, Waring found himself clinging to a slender lead at 18-under-par, just ahead of the steady advancing Niklas Nørgaard.
Paul Waring: You’ve got to have an average day, haven’t you? A little bit disappointed. I felt like could I have really moved forward today and put myself out of sight.
But four rounds of golf, you’re always going to have an iffy run of holes, iffy round of golf, whatever you want to call it.
If at the beginning of the week you’d given me a one-shot lead going into tomorrow I’d snatch your hand off.
I’m trying to remain positive that I’m still in the lead, and looking forward to getting out there tomorrow.
Just wasn’t at my best today. Putter felt a little bit jittery in total honesty. I thought the greens were a foot and a half quicker.
They were just breaking a bit more than what I was reading the first few days, a bit dryer, a bit firmer, and I just struggled on them a little bit today.
I know we were talking about making a lot of birdies prior to this, but you’re playing in so many golf tournaments and that sort of thing you, and just have to manage your emotions and what’s going on around you.
I felt like I did that quite well but like I said, I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t make a couple of birdies coming in and increase my lead a little bit.
It’s a game of golf tomorrow, isn’t it. Game of golf in the sunshine. I’ll be playing with Niklas again, great lad, good friend of mine.
Looking forward to the challenge of it now. I feel like my bad golf is out of the way now and I can sort of try and freewheel as much as I can tomorrow and add them all up tomorrow afternoon and see where we all lie.
The Dane, Nørgaard, looking sharp and composed, admitted feeling right at home in the big league as he seeks his second DP World Tour title and his first Rolex Series win.
He ended his flawless streak with a bogey at the ninth but still managed a commendable 69 to keep the heat on Waring.
On the Englishman’s heels and tied for third, were some familiar faces making their presence felt.
Tommy Fleetwood, with two Abu Dhabi titles under his belt, played a patchwork round of 71, marked by a blend of birdies and bogeys.
Shane Lowry, the burly Irishman and 2019 Champion, blasted out of the gates with an eagle early in the round, signing off with a 66 to keep the leaders in his sights.
Amid the shuffle, Sebastian Söderberg and Thorbjørn Olesen stayed in the hunt, matching Fleetwood’s score and setting the stage for a gripping finale.
The day wasn’t without its drama for Waring. A misfired opening tee shot landed him in a bunker, and although he scraped together a par, the tone was set.
His game seemed to stabilise briefly with a birdie on the second and a promising approach on the fourth.
However, missed opportunities started piling up, especially with a missed short putt that set a string of pars and more bunker trouble on the 14th.
The plot thickened as Thomas Detry put on a clinic with the low round of the day, a stunning 62, flirting with the course record set by Waring just the day before.
With six straight birdies out of the gate and more to follow, Detry showed he might just steal the show come the final round.
As we head into the final round, it’s anyone’s game. The leaderboard is tight, the stakes are high, and with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title on the line, expect fireworks and perhaps a surprise or two.
