Lee Westwood is now a massive favourite to win the European Tour money list tomorrow after Rory McIlroy had a nightmare finish to his Dubai World Championship third round.
Joint leader when he birdied the 15th the 20-year-old form Holywood bogeyed the last three holes and then fell five behind when Westwood closed with a birdie.
Westwood, who entered the week with a deficit of more than €128,000, cannot be stopped if he wins the tournament and is on target for a €1.8million pay-day.
On 15 under par following a superb bogey-free 66 he leads by two from fellow Englishman Ross McGowan — he also shot 66 — and by five from not just McIlroy, but also Pádraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
“I got myself in the position I wanted to be in, but after that finish I’ve left myself an uphill task,” said McIlroy, trying to become the youngest number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976.
“But I’ve still got a shot to win this — I feel a low round is in me and I feel it’s necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well.
“On 16 I got a flyer (it avoided the water over the green by inches, but he failed to get up and down after taking a shoe and sock off and rolling up a trouser leg), on 17 I left myself a tricky two-putt and the last was just a bad third shot.”
After taking a two-stroke halfway lead with a 20-foot closing birdie effort Westwood saved par on the first from almost as far and then rolled in a curling 30-footer only three holes later.
The world number five, who topped the Order of Merit in 2000, had to wait until the ninth for his next birdie, but it was to be the start of three in a row and more were to come on the 15th and 18th, both par fives.
McGowan, who won his first Tour title in Madrid last month after a third-round 60, was in spectacular form again as he went to the turn in 31 and led by two until Westwood hit back.
It looks to have come down to the two of them with German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher only two under after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They were in a tie for 37th, but just to have a chance Kaymer had to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
THIRD ROUND SCOREBOARD
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):
201Lee Westwood 66 69 66
203Ross McGowan 71 66 66
206 Rory McIlroy68 69 69, Alexander Noren (Swe) 70 69 67,
Padraig Harrington68 69 69
207Sergio Garcia (Spa) 71 67 69, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 70 69 68
208Thomas Aiken (Rsa) 68 70 70, Adam Scott (Aus) 68 73 67, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 71 66 71
209Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 71 66, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 71 69, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 72 68 69, Bradley Dredge 70 71 68
210Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 70 72 68, Robert Allenby (Aus) 65 72 73, Camilo Villegas (Col) 66 71 73, Johan Edfors (Swe) 69 70 71, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 69 68
211Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 68 71, Wen-chong Liang (Chn) 68 70 73, Graeme Storm 78 66 67
212Anthony Wall 71 71 70, Chris Wood 66 78 68, Anders Hansen (Den) 73 69 70, Jamie Donaldson 73 70 69, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 71 70
213Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 73 69 71, James Kingston (Rsa) 73 73 67, Oliver Wilson 71 72 70, Scott Strange (Aus) 73 67 73, Simon Dyson 70 73 70, Robert Rock 74 70 69, Ian Poulter 71 74 68, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 71 67 75
214Ross Fisher 73 71 70,
Gareth Maybin71 69 74, Nick Dougherty 69 72 73, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 71 71 72, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 74 70
215Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 71 71 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 70 73 72
216Luke Donald 73 72 71
217 Graeme McDowell76 70 71,
Peter Lawrie71 70 76, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 73 74, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 72 71 74, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 69 75 73
218David Drysdale 72 73 73, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 73 72 73, Ernie Els (Rsa) 74 74 70
219Soren Hansen (Den) 73 73 73, Danny Willett 76 70 73
220 Damien McGrane74 70 76, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 72 74, Justin Rose 72 75 73, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 75 72 73
221Steve Webster 75 73 73
