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The Irishman starts the final round with a three shot lead over Richard Sterne and a serious shot at winning wire-to-wire.

By Kent Gray
Shane Lowry went into Wednesday with “not much expectation”, survived a “weird” Thursday to fight again on Friday, much of which he did rather brilliantly from the rough.

The Irishman’s first round at the 14th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA produced a magical course record equaling 62, the second a holding pattern 70 and the third a “very comfortable” 67 despite all the hard work from the lush stuff.

If he can wrap it all up with another score in the 60s, Lowry could very well be €1,02 million better off come Saturday evening. He’ll feel even richer for a CV that would suddenly have a Rolex Series title to go a WGC crown and two other European Tour gongs, the first of them in his home Irish Open as an amateur.

“We’re in a world-class field here this week so I know they are going to come out firing tomorrow,” Lowry said after extending his halfway lead from one shot over Louis Oosthuizen to three strokes over another South African, Richard Sterne.

“So I need to stay aggressive and try to make as many birdies as I can and see where that leaves me on the 18th green. I felt very comfortable out there today and very happy with that. Very excited about tomorrow.”

Comfort is a relative thing at Abu Dhabi Golf Club even if you’re 17 under par through 54 holes. Lowry spent much of the third round in the rough – missing eight of 14 fairways – yet was still able to override two bogeys with seven birdies.

Much of the good work was achieved when he needn’t worry about finding fairways; the 31-year-old from County Offaly is eight under in par three scoring this week, his only blemish on the short holes coming at the 4th on Friday, the first of those two pesky but thus far inconsequential bogeys.

“I just started laughing when I birdied 15,” Lowry said of making his ninth two in 12 visits to The Nationals par 3s this week.

“My iron play has been good. I think if you go back to Race to Dubai [Jumeirah Golf Estates in Nov.], I was six-under par for the par 3s that tournament, and it’s just been good. I managed to hole a few good putts, as well. Play the par 3s well and the par 5s as well, and you should shoot a decent score.

You must wish you could wipe out the other holes and just play the par-3s on Saturday?

“I’m not going to say I feel invincible [on the par 3s] because we all know that this game is not easy, and it can jump up and bite you when you least expect it.

“So I’m just trying to go out and do what I’ve been doing. It just shows when I get myself in position, I can give myself chances and that’s kind of what I need to do.”

Lowry has finished first, second and tied second after holding 36-hole leads. He’s a round closer now but knows he’s in for a, ahem, Sterne test on Saturday.

Highlighted by a chip-in eagle on the 10th, Sterne added a 68 to earlier efforts of 65 and 68 and is first in greens in regulation through 54 holes.

He clearly has his game in good shape for a shot at Shane and a seventh European Tour title which would end a near six year title drought since the 2013 Joburg Open.

“It’s nice to be in contention. It’s been a long time. I’ve managed to win a few in my life, so hopefully there’s something left there and if we can have a chance coming down the last five or six…that would be a nice way to finish,” Stern said.

Ian Poulter, with an eagle three exclamation mark on his third round 69, will keep both Lowry and Sterne honest if he can keep the momentum going – and awake presumably given his 34-hour door-to-door trip to Abu Dhabi from PGA Tour duty in Hawaii. The Ryder Cup legend is five back, a shot better than Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal who is just as capable of a streaky final round charge as Poulter.

Lee Westwood is set to rue two front nine double bogeys in a 73 that saw him slip out of serious contention to -9 alongside Brooks Koepka. Westwood won’t be as disappointed as Oosthuizen though after the 2010 Open champion tumbled from second through 36 holes to a share of 20th overnight with five bogeys in a 75.