After joking that he spent much of last week checking out South Africa’s wildlife, Rory McIlroy was glad to be back looking at leaderboards in Dubai on Friday.
The Northern Irishman, without a win on the European Tour this season, has been displaying some of the familiar flows that have snaffled two DP World Tour Championship titles already, carding a 5-under par 67 for his second round to move into contention.
By the time he had signed off on seven birdies and two bogeys, McIlroy was three shots from the lead, with only five players between him and the summit. The return to rude health has been facilitated by the return to form with driver, apparently, something that has hampered him throughout the year, in fact.
Improvements were evident at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City last week, where McIlroy came home in a tie for 21st. Still, keeping the ball in play this week means sights can be trained once more on who’s doing what on the course.
Asked if it was refreshing to be back gazing at leaderboards after the past few weeks – he was tied-54th in China two weeks ago – McIlroy responded with a smile: “There was no point in looking at them. I wouldn’t have been anywhere near them.
“I was more trying to look for wildlife last week. More trying to look for lions and elephants than leaderboards.”
Now on the hunt on Dubai, his competitive juices are flowing.
“It’s nice to be in the mix,” McIlroy said. “It hasn’t been a while, because it’s only been two stroke-play tournaments since I was. I was in the last group in the Tour Championship [in September], but time-wise, even the Ryder Cup feels like an age ago.
“But it’s only Friday, so there’s a long way to go.”
McIlroy spent his second round alongside old sparring partner Patrick Reed. The two have gotten to know each other quite well the past couple of years, with the epic battle on Sunday at the 2016 Ryder Cup, and then again as the last-out pairing during the final round at this year’s Masters, when Reed slipped into a first Green Jacket.
On Friday, the American was one shot better off than McIlroy around the Earth Course, both on the day and for the tournament.
“Someone asked me there: ‘you seem to bring out the best in each other’,” McIlroy said. “Well, I seem to bring out the best in him. We’ve had a couple of really good experiences together on the golf course - Hazeltine 2016, final round Augusta this year.
“I have huge respect for Patrick and how he plays the game. I’ve seen firsthand how good he can be.”
McIlroy seems to be in fine fettle himself. Champion in Dubai 2012 and 2015, obviously he wouldn’t mind adding another to close the season on a high.
“I just want to give myself another chance to win a golf tournament,” said the four-time major winner, who has a solitary victory worldwide in 2018. “I've given myself plenty of chances this year. I just haven't capitalised on those.
“I need to shoot another good round tomorrow to get myself right in contention on Sunday, and hopefully if I can do that, I can play some good golf. It would be nice to win for a third time out there.”
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Read more:
DP World Tour Championship: Here are the pairings and tee times for Round 3 on Saturday
Tommy Fleetwood keeps alive Race to Dubai title bid aided by a 'nothing to lose' mentality
In pictures: Riveting action on the second day of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai
Rory McIlroy determined to revive 'B-minus' season at the DP World Tour Championship
Race to Dubai: All you need to know about 2018 DP World Tour Championship
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
