Big guns fire on day 3 of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

The big guns fired today at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, with Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Miguel-Angel Jimenez surging up the leaderboard, promising Sunday will be one of the most enthralling final days seen at the National Course.

Five-time Major Champion Phil Mickelson shot a stunning 63, which gave him the clubhouse lead for much of the afternoon and leaves him just two off the pace.  Sitting just behind is fellow Major winner Rory McIlroy, who suffered a two-shot penalty but still ended the day at nine under par for the Championship.  They were joined on the leaderboard by Spaniard Miguel-Angel Jimenez, whose five-under round left him one shot further back.

The trio will have to overcome the tenacious Scot Craig Lee, the joint overnight leader, who edged further ahead with a solid 69 which leaves him at 12-under for the Championship.  Lee, yet to win on the Tour, is looking forward to the final day pairing with Mickelson and Bhullar.  “The quality of players behind me is nothing that I’ve been used to before,” he said. “Looking right down that leaderboard, every one of them has won either a Major or plenty of European Tour events or across the pond, so yeah, it will be exciting!”
The day’s headlines will be shared by Mickelson, who brought the galleries to life during an incident-packed day, and McIlroy, who was left frustrated, having inadvertently brought the penalty on himself.

After his round on Friday, Mickelson had simply been “glad to make the cut” but today there was no mistaking his steely focus on getting straight back into contention.  A stunning brace of birdies to start was just the first salvo in a barrage of sub-par golf: nine birdies and an eagle giving the Abu Dhabi morning galleries an incredible feast of golf.  Only bogeys on the 5th and 14th stopped Mickelson taking the course record but his nine under par round has put him right into the mix for a thrilling finale on Sunday.
The unexpected moment of the day came on 18 where Phil landed on the sandy waste ground, with a palm tree in front of him.  He then hit an incredible low fade to the green and calmly strolled up and sank the 50-foot putt to cap his low-scoring round with a final birdie.
It certainly ensured Phil was enamoured with Abu Dhabi.  “I love the fact that I have a chance and that I’m in contention the first tournament out this year.  I love that I’ve played better each day.  And I love that I’ve had some good practice out here,” said lefty Mickelson, after only his third competitive round of the year.

McIlroy, followed by the biggest afternoon galleries, didn’t disappoint the fans with his golf.  Three-under at the turn, he parred everything on the way back until 18, where a late birdie got him to 11-under, and it looked like he would end the day sitting just on the shoulder of leader Lee.
As they were walking off the last green, though, playing partner Ricardo Gonzalez’s caddy raised a question about a shot on the 2nd – and Rory realised that he had inadvertently breached the rules; in taking his shot after a drop, his foot had been touching the line of the spectator path.  The two-shot penalty he had to take could have been much worse had Rory signed an incorrect card – and the Northern Irishman thinks the incident will simply motivate him even more tomorrow.

“It’s disappointing. I didn’t even know my foot was on the line.   I was just so much into the shot that I didn’t even realise.  I didn’t gain ‑‑ if anything it was a disadvantage because I dropped it in a bad lie and didn’t make birdie.
“It gives me a bit of extra motivation; not that winning this tournament isn’t motivation enough.”
Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar will be hoping his Abu Dhabi-based compatriots turn out in droves tomorrow to cheer him on towards a maiden Tour victory, after a bogey-free round of 66 allowed him to match Mickelson and put him in the mix for the final round.
“Today, I saw a lot of familiar faces on the back nine.  There were quite a few Indian supporters walking and following me.  It really motivates me and I hope to see these guys coming out in a big number tomorrow,” he said.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who turned 50 earlier this month, celebrated his golden milestone with a round of 67, taking him to eight under par for the Championship, poised for a run at the lead on Sunday.
Big-hitting German Martin Kaymer, seeking a fourth Falcon Trophy for his cabinet, was looking on course for an overnight leaderboard position, as he walked off the 13th green four-under for the day and seven-under for the Championship. Bogeys on 14 and 17 looked to derail his chances but another birdie on 18, his third of the week, keeps Kaymer in contention at six-under.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course experienced an injection of vibrant colour today as it was invaded by thousands of fans sporting Championship red for the ever-popular ‘Splash of Red’ day. The annual promotion encourages spectators to don the HSBC-inspired shade to gain free entry to the event and it helped swell even further the massive crowds enjoying the Abu Dhabi sunshine.
The ‘Golf Trick Shot Boys’ once again entertained thousands of fans in the Village, showing off an array of unexpected shots that kept the crowds in raptures throughout the afternoon. From standing on a ‘medicine ball’ and driving a ball hundreds of metres down the range, to pulling out gigantic drivers and passing on some handy practice tips, the talented duo of Geoff Swain and Kevin Carpenter put on another inspiring show.

After three days of blue skies and beautiful sunshine, the Championship theme of ‘expect the unexpected’ is coming to life with the weather!  Forecasters are predicting thunderstorms late on Sunday afternoon, so the Championship tomorrow will see a two-tee start.  The leaders will go out at 10.00am, with the prize-giving ceremony expected at 3.00pm.