For Rory McIlroy, it was less how he finished and more how he started Sunday at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
McIlroy stormed out of the gates to begin his third round at Emirates Golf Club, birdieing each of his first four holes to move into the lead. He added four more birdies in a five-hole stretch, starting with the par-5 13th hole, to build up enough of a cushion that a closing bogey at the par-5 finishing hole mattered little in terms of his position on the leaderboard.
McIlroy’s 7-under 65 moved him to 15 under, three shots clear of the field entering Monday’s rescheduled final round.