Lee Westwood carries lead into Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship finale

46-year-old Lee Westwood holds the lead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA after a stunning third round of 65.

Lee Westwood, who has spent time at World No.1 in the past, holds a one shot lead over the field with 18 holes to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first Rolex Series event of the new season.

The Englishman has 24 wins already on the European Tour, and a birdie on the 18th on Saturday afternoon puts him in prime position to make it 25 come Sunday evening at Abu Dhabi GC, sitting at -14.

At one point during the day, Westwood held a three shot lead, but he got into trouble on the 14th, allowing the field to close in. He sits one shot clear of overnight leader Francesco Laporta and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, who already has two Rolex Series victories to his name.

Like Westwood, the Austrian carded a 65 on the third day, while the Italian, who held a one shot lead going into Saturday’s play, struggled on the front nine, before birdieing both the 16th and 17th to come home in 69.

Matthew Fitzpatrick, who was also in the last group on Saturday, currently sits on his own in 4th place, two shots behind his countryman, after a third straight round in the 60s in Abu Dhabi.

The leading American is Kurt Kitayama, with last year’s 13th placed man on the Race to Dubai in a tie for 5th alongside Sergio Garcia, with the high point of the Spaniard’s round being an eagle three at the par-5 8th hole on Saturday.

Rafa Cabrera Bello makes it two Spaniards inside the top ten. He is in a tie for 7th with Belgium’s Thomas Detry at -10, four back from the lead.

The South African duo of Zander Lombard and Louis Oosthuizen are at -9, with Ross Fisher, Jack Senior and Germany’s Sebastian Heisele, who posted the lowest round of the day. He birdied his last four holes to card an eight-under 64 to move himself into the top ten ahead of the final day.

Big names, including Tommy Fleetwood, Thomas Pieters, Andy Sullivan, Patrick Cantlay and last week’s South African Open winner Branden Grace are all within seven shots of the lead ahead of the final day. Could one of those go REALLY low on Sunday to put the pressure on?

Yuxin Lin, the Chinese amateur, continues to shine. He is currently at -7, in a tie for 24th having posted 70 or better in all three rounds of his first Rolex Series event.

Countryman Haotong Li carded a 74 on the third day to drop down to -6, and eight off the lead. He is alongside Erik van Rooyen and three-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Martin Kaymer with 18 holes to play.

World No.1 Brooks Koepka recovered from a 75 on Friday to post a 70 on Saturday, but he is now nine shots off the lead at -5, only just inside the top 50 on his return from a knee injury he suffered in October.

Italy’s Renato Paratore, one of the men who led after the first day, now sits in a tie for 50th, having followed up his opening 64 with rounds of 72 and 76. He is joined by Nicolas Colsaerts and Matt Wallace, with the three in the group ten shots off the lead.

Back at the top, and it lies on the experienced shoulders of Lee Westwood. Can the Englishman go on to win his 25th European Tour title, and what would be his second Rolex Series win, following his victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2018.

There is serious quality in the chasing pack, but can anyone catch the former World No.1? The final trio, which will also feature Wiesberger and Laporta, tees off at 12:05 (GMT+4) on Sunday afternoon.

Will the winner come from those three? Or could the likes of Fitzpatrick, Garcia and Oosthuizen put a low score together to pile the pressure on?

Play starts at 07:28 (GMT+4) on the final day, with Victor Dubuisson and Alexander Björk getting things underway on the final day of the first Rolex Series tournament of the decade.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Leaderboard:

1 (-14): Lee Westwood (ENG)

T2 (-13): Bernd Wiesberger (AUT), Francesco Laporta (ITA)

4 (-12): Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)

T5 (-11): Sergio Garcia (ESP), Kurt Kitayama (USA)

Selected Others:

T7 (-10): Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP), Thomas Detry (BEL)

T9 (-9): Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Sebastien Heisele (GER)

T14 (-8): Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Thomas Pieters (BEL)

T24 (-7): Patrick Cantlay (USA), Yuxin Lin (A, CHN), Branden Grace (RSA)

T37 (-6): Erik van Rooyen (RSA), Haotong Li (CHN), Martin Kaymer (GER)

T48 (-5): Joost Luiten (NED), Brooks Koepka (USA)

T50 (-4): Renato Paratore (ITA), Matt Wallace (ENG), Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL)

T66 (-1): Thomas Bjørn (DEN), Andrew Johnston (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA)