Henrik Stenson moved into the lead during the second round in Dubai, and he now remains atop the standings – although he has some company. Here’s how things look after three rounds at the DP World Tour Championship, where Stenson and Rafael Cabrera-Bello share the lead:
Leaderboard: Henrik Stenson (-14), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (-14), Justin Rose (-11), Rory McIlroy (-10), Victor Dubuisson (-10), Thorbjorn Olesen (-10), Tyrrell Hatton (-10)
What it means: So much for a McIlroy-Stenson weekend duel. The Swede held up his end of the bargain with a 4-under 68, but McIlroy faltered with back-to-back double bogeys on the back nine to derail his round. Instead, it was Cabrera-Bello who surged to the top as he looks to win for the first time since 2012.
Round of the day: Cabrera-Bello started the day three shots behind Stenson, but he made up the gap with a 7-under, bogey-free 65. The Spaniard is now 15 under over his last 36 holes and closed with a flurry, carding birdies on four of his final five holes.
Best of the rest: Scotland’s Marc Warren moved onto the fringe of contention at 9 under following a 65 that matched Cabrera-Bello for low round of the day. Warren caught fire in the middle of his round, with four birdies in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 7-11, and he closed with a birdie on the home hole.
Biggest disappointment: Richie Ramsay had played his way into the penultimate pairing Saturday, but things fell apart for the Scot in the third round. Ramsay made only one birdie en route to a 3-over 75, which tied for last among the entire 60-man field, and as a result he fell all the way back to 5 under and nine shots off the pace.
Main storyline heading into Sunday: Stenson has not won anywhere since capturing the trophy in Dubai a year ago, but he appears poised to end that drought and successfully defend his title. Stenson is now 39 under across his last seven rounds on the Earth Course, but make no mistake – Cabrera-Bello is the hottest man in the field right now and will likely give Stenson a stern test with the two men now three shots clear of the field.
from Caddysview.com News http://ift.tt/1xgYHdw
