Woods, McIlroy off to torrid start at Aronimink

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy fired a 7-under 65 Saturday in the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to sit one shot behind leaders Ross Fisher and Thomas Pieters. Northern Ireland’s McIlroy is on 16-under 200 overall with the former world No. 1 playing his first event since October. England’s Fisher also shot a 65, while overnight leader Pieters added a 67 to reach 17-under 199 on a low-scoring day in the absence of any wind at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course. Top-ranked Dustin Johnson (68) is five shots behind the leaders. Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood (67) was tied for fourth on 201 with Matthew Fitzpatrick, whose 9-under 63 is the lowest round of the tournament so far. McIlroy finally dropped a shot in the tournament on the par-3 15th when he could not get out of the greenside bunker in one attempt. He made up for this with a chip-in birdie on the 17th and added another on the par-5 18th. McIlroy has never finished outside the top five in seven of his last eight starts here. “I’ve had a lot of close calls here, I think about six top threes or something like that,” he said. Fisher has been in good form since the second half of 2017, and has risen to 31st in the rankings. However, his last win came back at the 2014 Tshwane Open. On Saturday, he started with three birdies in first four holes before dropping a shot on the fifth, and then played solid golf and made key par saves in his 65. “I think a good momentum putt was probably the birdie on eighth,” Fisher said. “We traded birdies, good shots, and just thoroughly enjoyed the guys’ company and look forward to doing it again tomorrow.” Pieters was disappointed at not making a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to stay one ahead of Fisher. “A lot of really good shots and then finished poorly,” the Belgian said. “That was a terrible last hole.” Johnson is tied for 12th with four other players after six birdies and two bogeys.

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Joel Dahmen (+400 for a Top 20) … Keep your shirt on. A fella can have a little fun in his backyard. His antics on the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale on Sunday were about the only thing worth watching (and even that is debatable) en route to a T62. That aside, the Scottsdale resident also, ahem, flashed his form for a T6 at Pebble Beach. He even modeled a T5 at Riviera in 2020. At 34 years of age and in his physical prime, obviously, his tee-to-green precision is worth celebrating this week. Mackenzie Hughes (+300 for a Top 20) … Although he captured victory at The RSM Classic in what was just his fifth start as a PGA TOUR member in November of 2016, the Canadian didn’t settle into a groove at this level until just before the pandemic shut things down for three months in 2020. He hasn’t won again but he’s connected for 10 top 10s in the last two years. He also cashed for the first time in three tries here last year with a T32. After his string of consecutive cuts ended at 12 at the Farmers three weeks ago, the 31-year-old sprung back to life with a T16 at Pebble Beach where he showcased his not-so-secret weapon – the putter. Lanto Griffin (+300 for a Top 20) … Since ending a relative drought with a T6 at the Shriners in October, he’s 7-for-7 with three top 10s and a T16 in his last start at Pebble Beach. This has been his profile since returning to the PGA TOUR two years ago. He’s done the most damage at this time of the season, so it’d be more surprising if he wasn’t delivering. With the momentum, he’s poised for a personal-best at the Genesis where he cashed in the previous two editions with above-average putting. The better of the results was a T26 last year. Adam Hadwin (+350 for a Top 20) … The 34-year-old Canuck is back to painting red numbers on leaderboards with regularity. Sure, courses are easier on average in the first quarter of the season, but he’s still converting, and he scuffled a bit at this time last year. He’s also back to using all 14 clubs for their optimal purposes. Best of all, he arrives at Riviera where he’s been a fixture since his rookie season of 2014-15. Perfect in seven trips with a T6 in 2018 punctuating three top 25s. Martin Laird (+450 for a Top 20) … Of all his worthy stablemates here, the Scot might step to the front as the most predictable among them. Like so many who tee it up at the WM Phoenix Open, he slept in his own bed last week, and like he’s done time and again at TPC Scottsdale, he played very well. A T14 was his sixth top 20 in the tournament. His previous two occurred in 2017 (T7) and 2018 (T9). In the wake of both, he finished a respective T8 and T9 at Riviera, so there’s a direct correlation of sustaining form. The 39-year-old doesn’t make a ton of noise, but he’s still among the best ball-strikers you’ll find. That works everywhere, but it’s rewarded handsomely at The Riv. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. For live odds, visit betmgm.

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