Paul Waring Maintains Slim Lead at Abu Dhabi Championship

Paul Waring heads into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship with a reduced one-shot lead. Waring set a course record of 61 in round two and shot a one-over-par 73 in the third round at Yas Links. He holds 18 under for the tournament, staying just ahead of Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard, who carded a 69. England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland’s Shane Lowry trail Waring by three shots, tied for third place with two others.

Rory McIlroy looked ready to join them at 15 under but made a double-bogey on the final hole. McIlroy’s 69 leaves him at 13 under and he needs a top-two finish to secure his sixth Race to Dubai win before next week’s European Tour finale. Waring started his third round with a birdie on the second hole but followed it up with bogeys on the fourth and 14th.

Reflecting on his performance, Paul Waring told Sky Sports, “I could have really moved forward today and put myself out of sight. But in four rounds, an iffy round is expected. If you had offered me a one-shot lead going into the final day at the start of the week, I would have taken it gladly.” Fleetwood a two-time Abu Dhabi winner, stayed in contention with a 71 despite putter struggles.

Lowry shot an eagle on the second hole and added five birdies to finish with a 66. Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen also hold 15 under. Belgian Thomas Detry played an impressive 10-under 62 to join six others at 14 under. This group includes Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and England’s Tyrrell Hatton. McIlroy, despite a strong middle stretch, said, “I need to keep the big mistakes and big numbers off my card tomorrow.”