McIlroy in the hunt for third Dubai title

Rory McIlroy goes into the final day of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic still in the hunt for a third success at the event, but it is Justin Harding who remains in pole position.

McIlroy, winner in 2009 and 2015, moved up three places on the overnight leaderboard after shooting a three-under-par of 69 on at the Majlis Course to trail South Africa's Harding by two strokes going into the final round

The Northern Irishman's total was the joint second-lowest round of the day - only Shane Lowry, tied for 23rd, managed better with 68 - and included an eagle three on the 10th hole as the players had to contend with hard, fast-running greens, and the 32-year-old was satisfied with his day's work.

"I think it was a fair reflection of how I played," McIlroy, who sits on 10 under par, said. "There were a couple of good things and a couple of bad things in there, but I feel like it all evened out by the end.

"It was nice to birdie the last, shoot something in the 60s and play myself into the last group tomorrow.

"[It was tough because] The pins are tucked away and then the green firmness. I think as well, this late in the day, it starts to get hard to hole putts on the greens because they're a little crusty and got progressively faster as the day went on.

"So, I started to putt a little more defensively on the back nine. All of that leads to a pretty challenging day."

Also in contention is Tommy Fleetwood, who vaulted up seven places to third going into day four on the back of carding a 69 as well. The Englishman is in a three-way tie for third on nine under with compatriot Richard Bland and South Africa's Erik van Rooyen.

A further shot back, tied for fifth, are a four-man group of Tyrrell Hatton, reigning champion Paul Casey,