Racing Post's Dubai Desert Classic third-round preview, best bets, free tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 6am Saturday

Best bets

Rory McIlroy to win 7.38am threeball
2pts 4-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Lee Westwood to win 7.27am threeball
2pts 15-8 Boylesports

Story so far

Justin Harding followed up his opening round 65 by carding a solid 68 at Emirates Golf Club to pull two shots clear of the Dubai Desert Classic field after two rounds.

Starting on the tenth, the South African was one under par for his second round through his first 11 holes but a birdie at the par-five third (his 12th), followed by a hole-out eagle on the par-four sixth, (his 15th) saw the two-time tour winner forge ahead.

However, almost all of the fancied runners are waiting in the wings for a crack at the leader over the weekend.

Tyrrell Hatton, fresh from a controversial outing in Abu Dubai, shot a six-under-par second-round to move into solo second place behind Harding.

Erik van Rooyen, the main outright recommendation of Racing Post Sport's Steve Palmer, sits level with Fabrizio Zanotti at eight under, while a number of high-profile candidates are in close attendance - Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Richard Bland are all part of the group tied for fifth at seven under.

It is an all-English affair on six under with Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Horsfield, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Marcus Armitage all sitting in a tie for tenth position while Collin Morikawa and Abu Dhabi champ Thomas Pieters are in the top 25 and will be looking to make a move on Saturday.

Leaderboard
-11 Justin Harding
-9 Tyrrell Hatton
-8 Fabrizio Zanotti, Erik van Rooyen
-7 Joachim B Hansen, Adrian Meronk, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Richard Bland
-6 Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Horsfield, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Marcus Armitage

Best prices
7-2, T Hatton, 5 R McIlroy, 6 V Hovland, J Harding, 10 E Van Rooyen, 20 P Casey, 25 T Fleetwood, 33 J Hansen, F Zanotti, T Pieters, B Wiesberger, L Westwood, S Horsfield, 40 bar.

Third-round preview

Rory McIlroy’s stellar record in this tournament and solid second round makes him an attractive threeball option when he tees off alongside JB Hansen and Adrian Meronk.

The Northern Irishman has won the Dubai Desert Classic twice, in 2009 and 2015, and registered a second-placed finish in 2018.

A bogey-free 66 has put McIlroy right in the mix and the long-driving 32-year-old is suited by this track.

Meronk has put together a consistent two rounds and may pose the bigger threat to McIlroy as Hansen could not sustain the effort that saw him tied for the lead after the first round, carding a 72 on Friday.

Paul Casey is a short price to come out on top of his threeball with Lee Westwood and Marcus Armitage but was visibly nursing a neck injury throughout the first two rounds of the event and last year’s winner can be taken on as a result.

Westwood has a strong record in this event, carding four top-ten finishes in the last ten years, and will be ready to swoop in if injury issues worsen for Casey in the third round.

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