Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy are set to go head-to-head for the Dubai Invitational title after an enthralling third round in the United Arab Emirates.

The duo’s “Fleetwood Mac” partnership claimed two points from two in the foursomes in Rome last year as Europe beat the United States 16.5-11.5 but they will be in competition on day four at Dubai Creek Resort, with Fleetwood holding a one-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard.

McIlroy had dominated the first two rounds in the desert, maintaining a two-shot lead earned via an opening 62 despite carding a quadruple-bogey in a 70 on Friday.

But Fleetwood signed for a bogey-free 63 on day three to lead the way at 15 under, one clear of McIlroy, who carded a 67.

“I felt I played very well, got off to the perfect start and got momentum early on, which I didn’t have yesterday,” said Fleetwood.

“I hit a couple of really nice putts early on, was rolling the ball well and hit the greens well. Today they went my way, just a bit of confidence when you start holing some and just get in that rhythm and that flow.”

Englishman Fleetwood quickly wiped out McIlroy’s advantage as he birdied the first, third, fourth and sixth and he led by two with another gain on the 10th.

A hat-trick of birdies from the 12th saw him lead by three but McIlroy – who had given back a gain on the fourth with a bogey on the fifth – made three birdies of his own from the 11th and cut the gap to one on the 16th.

“It was a little bit of a slow start but then I got things going on the back nine,” said the Northern Irishman. “Shot four under on the back to try to keep up with Tommy.

“I played well on that back nine and earned myself a tee time with him tomorrow and it’ll be good fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

Dane Thorbjorn Olesen was at 12 under, one shot clear of England’s Jordan Smith and South African duo Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard.

Rory McIlroy maintained his two-shot lead in the Dubai Invitational after battling back from a shock quadruple bogey in round two.

McIlroy had looked in imperious form as he carded an opening 62 and extended his overnight advantage to four shots on Friday with birdies on the third and fourth at Dubai Creek.

However, the world number two then found water off the tee on the par-three eighth and, after moving forward to the drop zone, amazingly hit another ball into the hazard from just 130 yards.

Three birdies on the back nine saw McIlroy sign for a 70 and halfway total of 10 under par, two shots ahead of Germany’s Yannik Paul and Denmark’s Jeff Winther, whose 66 was the joint lowest round of the day in testing, windy conditions.

“I think if I look at the other 17 holes that I played, I played very, very well again. Hit some good iron shots,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“Played not too dissimilar to the way I played yesterday. I maybe holed a couple more putts yesterday but the conditions were getting a little trickier. Wind was up, greens were firm and a couple miscues on the eighth hole.

“I felt like I did well just to get my head back into it and play some solid golf on the way in, and everyone seemed to find it a little more difficult today than yesterday. So it’s nice to go into the weekend still with the lead.

“I had a chance to bounce back on nine that I missed but [the birdie on] 10 was big. The two shots into 13 were big too to make two relatively easy birdies.

“I gave myself chances most of the back nine, which was nice, and I was able to convert a couple before that tough finishing stretch there on 17 and 18.”

Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood added a 69 to his opening 66 to share fourth place on seven under par with compatriot Jordan Smith, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and the South African duo of Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard.

Rory McIlroy exceeded his expectations as he started his 2024 season with a flawless opening 62 in the inaugural Dubai Invitational.

Competing for the first time since finishing a distant 22nd in the DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy looked anything but rusty as he recorded nine birdies at Dubai Creek Resort to open up a two-shot lead over Germany’s Yannik Paul.

Paul carded eight birdies and a solitary bogey in his 64, with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence on six under and Tommy Fleetwood and Thorbjorn Olesen another stroke back.

McIlroy, who will defend his Dubai Desert Classic title next week, told Sky Sports: “I didn’t expect that.

“It didn’t feel quite as good as that the first couple of days when I was here hitting balls and playing the course but it was nice to get a card in the hand again and feel the competitive juices flowing.

“I surprised myself a little bit but hopefully more of the same over the next few days.

“When the wind gets up it can get a little bit tricky. We played the first 12 or 13 holes basically without any wind and then there was a little coming in.

“I think you just have to miss it in the right spots, there’s some water here and there and I think I did a good job today of managing my misses on the right side and when I did hit good shots I was available to take advantage of them.”

The tournament features a 72-hole strokeplay tournament played alongside a three-day pro-am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only.

“These pro-ams I either play with my dad or this week I’m playing with the tournament host so there’s maybe added pressure there as well to go out and perform, but it’s a very easy way to get back into things,” McIlroy added.

“This is a nice week to do some extra practice and put some work in so that I feel a bit more ready, not just for next week which is obviously a bigger event, but also going into the bulk of the season.”

Rory McIlroy is focused on finding the “final piece of the puzzle” as he bids to end his major drought in 2024.

McIlroy won two Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour last year to claim the Race to Dubai for a fifth time and enjoyed a career-best performance to help Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Rome.

The world number two has also recorded seven top 10s in his last eight majors but remains without a win since the 2014 US PGA Championship at Valhalla, which will also host the second major of the year in May.

“I’m excited for the year,” McIlroy said before getting his season under way in the inaugural Dubai Invitational, with a title defence of the Dubai Desert Classic following next week.

“This is my 18th full season on tour, which is mad to think about. But I’m as excited as I was for the first one. I think every new year [brings] new opportunities, new goals.

“My consistency has really been there over the last couple of years, without winning one of the big ones.

“I think that’s the final piece of the puzzle for me, especially coming out of Covid and sort of going through some dips in my game and then coming back up and playing so well the last couple years.

“The final piece of the puzzle is trying to knock off one of those four.”

McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood expressed similar sentiments as the Dubai-based world number 15 set his sights on a first tournament win since the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2022.

Fleetwood, who has recorded six top 10s in his last 10 starts worldwide, said: “I played really well last year, particularly from like early summer onwards, late spring. I think my consistency levels were great.

“Like most people in the world of golf, I don’t win anywhere near as much as I would like, so you’re always looking to that missing piece that would lead to you more victories.

“But overall, in terms of the depths of my performances throughout the year, I was very, very pleased, and to finish the world ranking in a high place again, knocking on the door of that top 10. Hopefully I can just carry on with that consistency and doing the right things and try to kick on.”

The Dubai Invitational features a 72-hole strokeplay tournament played concurrently with a three-day pro-am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only.

Former US Open champion Gary Woodland is determined to “jump start” his career as he returns to action following surgery to remove a brain lesion.

Woodland, who won his maiden major title at Pebble Beach in 2019, was diagnosed with the lesion in May last year but kept competing on the PGA Tour before undergoing surgery on September 18.

The 39-year-old will make his first start since August in this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, where world number eight Matt Fitzpatrick and Open champion Brian Harman head the 144-man field.

“They track it every three months now with an MRI and I had a little tough spell leading up to the MRI a couple weeks ago because I was a little nervous, but everything came back well,” Woodland said in his pre-tournament press conference.

“At the end of the day, I just want to prove you can do hard things. I want to prove to my kids nobody is going to tell you you can’t do anything.

“You can overcome tough, scary decisions in your life. Not everything is easy. This came out of nowhere for me, but I’m not going to let it stop me.

“I don’t want this to be a bump in the road for me. I want it to be a jump start in my career.

“At the end of the day, I’m here because I believe this is what I’ve been born to do, play great golf. I want to do that again. It’s been a while. Been a couple of years.

“Nothing is going to stop me. I believe that. I believe a lot of great things are ahead.”

Woodland revealed he first experienced symptoms shortly after last year’s Masters which included partial seizures in the night and “a lot of fear”.

“The lesion sat on the part of my brain that controls fear and anxiety,” Woodland said.

“The specialist in Kansas City explained everything to a T. He’s like, you’re not going crazy. Everything you’re experiencing is common and normal for where this thing is sitting in your brain.”

Remarkably, Woodland kept competing on the PGA Tour as he tried to treat the symptoms with medication, but struggled with a lack of energy and focus and would even forget which club he was about to hit while standing over the ball.

Another specialist in Miami eventually urged Woodland to undergo surgery to remove the lesion as its location was too risky to attempt a biopsy.

“He didn’t want to go in any more than he had to. So surgery and removal was the next step,” Woodland said.

“They couldn’t get it all out from where it was located (but) it was benign.

“If it was cancerous they would’ve removed it all. It’s up against my optic tract. They removed as much as they could and believe they cut off the blood circulation to what’s left.”

Tiger Woods appears to have confirmed that his long and lucrative partnership with sportswear manufacturer Nike has come to an end.

The 15-time major winner has worn or used the company’s products throughout his professional career.

It is reported the partnership has been worth more than £500million to player, who turned professional in 1996.

Woods, 48, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world. The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever.

“Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way.

“People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA!”

Woods is a tournament host at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles next month.

West Indies captains Shai Hope and Hayley Matthews, as well as star athlete Sada Williams, were among the highlights, as the National Sports Council recognized a number of Barbados standout athletes from a range of disciplines at the 39^th staging of its awards ceremony on Friday.

The event staged at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex was flocked by the country’s finest, who were rightly celebrated for their dedication to achieving sporting excellence.

Williams, who enjoyed a stellar year capped by her bronze medal performance in the 400m at the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, received the much-deserved nod for the coveted Minister’s Award and the National Sports Personality Award for 2023.

Matthews and Hope stood out in their respective categories, winning that award in the senior division. Claiming the school awards were St Gabriel’s School and Harrison College, while Esther Maynard was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her committed service in the athletic community.

Diminutive golfer Ashton O’Kola Physically topped his peers in the Junior Outstanding Sportsperson category, as Chess phenom Hannah Wilson won the honours in the female side.

The Wesley Worrell Award was presented to table tennis player Chad Doughty. Signia Finance and the Barbados Bottling Company received the Sponsors Award for their continued support, while well-known sports journalist Kenmore Bynoe secured the Media Award.

In the Team Award category, the Barbados Women’s Squash team reigned supreme. Emerging Athlete awardees were Desean Boyce in athletics and rising tennis star Hannah Chambers.

Kofi Hinds received the Alvin Burgess Award for Sports Administrator, recognizing his excellent work in the hockey arena, and The Coach-of-the-Year award went to Jesse King in athletics.

Youth Awards were distributed to Rejada Hinds, Scott Galbraith, Shakobi Gittens, Sarama James, Zachary Maynard, Laila McIntyre, and Chaz Reifer-Belle. Special awards were given to Paul Bernstein, Dorian Best, Michelle Elliot, Roberta Foster, and Akeem Rudder.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith in his remarks called for greater support from the private sector.

“From the time I took up this role as Minister of Sports I have been asking the private sector to come on board because it is impossible for government to fund all of the programs that we think are necessary to move our athletes to the next level,” Griffiths said.

“The onus is on us to ensure that every single playing field on this island is active with youngsters engaging in sporting disciplines and we have started the process of lighting all of those playing fields across the island. It is an ongoing project, but we expect to see the finishing line at some point in time,” he added.

American Chris Kirk heads into the final round of the PGA Tour season opener in Hawaii with a one-stroke lead.

Kirk hit eight birdies and a bogey in a third-round 66 to push his way into pole position at The Sentry in Maui.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, the halfway leader, hit a 71 to drop three shots off the lead.

Tyrell Hatton could not replicate Friday’s 62, carding a 72 and dropping into a tie for 14th a further two shots back.

Fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick is four shots off the pace in a share of 10th after a 69.

American Akshay Bhatia, 21, pushed his way into second spot, one stroke behind Kirk on 20 under, while Xander Schauffele, Jordan Speith and Byeong Hun An are a further stroke back in third.

Kirk said he will have to remain aggressive to hold his lead.

“You certainly can’t protect anything out here, that’s for sure,” he said.

“When it’s a shootout like this and the scores are really low, you just stay aggressive and just go do your thing.”

Tyrell Hatton hit 10 birdies and an eagle as he shot a 62 to move into second place on day two of The Sentry in Hawaii.

Hatton had the best round of the day 62, moving to 15-under-par alongside Brendon Todd and Sungjae Im, one stroke behind Scottie Scheffler.

Collin Morikawa and Norway’s Viktor Hovland are among a bunch of players on 14-under-par after they both shot 67.

Hatton said: “Maybe a surprise to do it in the second round back to start the year, after how long I’ve had off.”

“I wouldn’t say I looked after myself in the December period — maybe that played a small part. Yeah, so the body hasn’t been moving well.

“I’m sure if you had seen some of the flight tracers of some of my tee shots, you would be disgusted.”

Fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick moved to within three of the lead with a 64.

World number one Scheffler also shot 64 with eight birdies and an eagle.

Sahith Theegala birdied seven of his final nine holes to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA Tour season in Hawaii.

The American’s nine-under-par 64 in The Sentry event leads a group of five players, including major champions Collin Morikawa and Jason Day, plus FedEx champion Viktor Hovland.

Colombia’s Camillo Villegas and South Korean Sungjae Im are also on eight under, with world number one Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth among those a shot further adrift.

On a day of low scoring, Theegala reached the turn at three-under-par before six consecutive birdies catapulted him into the last – another at the last, giving him the top spot on his own after a bogey at the 16th.

Morikawa made six birdies and an eagle in his 65, while Hovland birdied seven of his last 10 holes.

Matt Wallace was the top English performer in the 59-strong field – made up of last year’s PGA Tour winners and top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings – with a 68, one better than Tyrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 70, while Justin Rose came home in 31 after going out in 40 to be two under.

Rory McIlroy has conceded he was “too judgmental” in his criticisms of those who joined the breakaway LIV Golf Tour.

McIlroy took a strident position against the big-money venture, which tempted a host of top names with lavish paydays and disrupted the established order of the PGA and European Tours.

The Northern Irishman became the de facto voice of opposition to the project, which has continued to divide the sport, and said during last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome that the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter would miss being part of the European team more than they would be missed.

Now, with talks ongoing to agree a merger between the rival parties, McIlroy has taken a tentative step towards rapprochement.

Speaking to Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast, he said: “I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start.

“I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’ position. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve just accepted the fact that this is part of our sport now.

“At the end of the day, we’re professional golfers and we play to make a living and make money, so I understand it.”

McIlroy remains unhappy at those who criticised the established tours after leaving, but did accept that the Saudi intervention did shine a light on problems that had gone overlooked for too long.

“I don’t begrudge anyone for going and taking the money and doing something different, but don’t try to burn the place down on your way out,” he added.

“When people have played that for 15 or 20 years, and then they jump to LIV and start talking crap about where they’ve come from, that is what bothers me, because they wouldn’t be in this position if they didn’t have the career they’ve had so far.

“I think what LIV has done… it’s exposed some of the flaws in the system and hopefully golf will have a look at more.

“If we’re going to ask these people (sponsors) for so much money, we need to be able to guarantee them what they’re getting.

“Part of the stuff that we’ve been trying to do for the last two years is figure out how we can try and bring golf back together again and learn from some of the things that have happened.”

Jon Rahm became the latest high-profile LIV acquisition within weeks of helping Europe to victory in a Ryder Cup triumph in Rome, a move McIlroy chalked up as calculated move against the backdrop of negotiations between the rival tours.

“I thought it was a smart business move from Jon – it’s opportunistic,” he said.

“(He) hasn’t got any of the heat for going like the first guys got for going.

“Jon is a smart guy and I think he sees things coming together at some point so he’s thinking that he’ll take the up-front money, which is his prerogative, and if things come together he’ll play LIV for a year then come back to play on the tour.”

Rory McIlroy has conceded he was “too judgemental” in his criticisms of those who joined the breakaway LIV Golf Tour.

McIlroy took a strident position against the big-money venture, which tempted a host of top names with lavish paydays and disrupted the established order of the PGA and European tours.

The Northern Irishman became the de facto voice of opposition to the project, which has continued to divide the sport, and said during last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome that the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter would miss being part of the European team more than they would be missed.

Now, with talks ongoing to agree a merger between the rival parties, McIlroy has taken a tentative step towards rapprochement.

Speaking to Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast, he said: “I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgemental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start.

“I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Wood’s position. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgemental at the start.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve just accepted the fact that this is part of our sport now.

“At the end of the day, we’re professional golfers and we play to make a living and make money, so I understand it.”

McIlroy remains unhappy at those who criticised the established tours after leaving, but did accept that the Saudi intervention did shine a light on problems that had gone overlooked for too long.

“I don’t begrudge anyone for going and taking the money and doing something different, but don’t try to burn the place down on your way out,” he added.

“When people have played that for 15 or 20 years, and then they jump to LIV and start talking crap about where they’ve come from, that is what bothers me, because they wouldn’t be in this position if they didn’t have the career they’ve had so far.

“I think what LIV has done… it’s exposed some of the flaws in the system and hopefully golf will have a look at more.

“If we’re going to ask these people (sponsors) for so much money, we need to be able to guarantee them what they’re getting.

“Part of the stuff that we’ve been trying to do for the last two years is figure out how we can try and bring golf back together again and learn from some of the things that have happened.”

Jon Rahm became the latest high-profile LIV acquisition within weeks of helping Europe to victory in a Ryder Cup triumph in Rome, a move McIlroy chalked up as calculated move against the backdrop of negotiations between the rival tours.

“I thought it was a smart business move from Jon – it’s opportunistic,” he said.

“(He) hasn’t got any of the heat for going like the first guys got for going.

“Jon is a smart guy and I think he sees things coming together at some point so he’s thinking that he’ll take the up-front money, which is his prerogative, and if things come together he’ll play LIV for a year then come back to play on the tour.”

Barbados-based seven-year-old Ashton O’Kola is back in the Caribbean after his latest triumph at the Doral Jr Classic Golf Tournament in Miami.

The best of the pint-sized O’Kola, whose parents are Jamaican, was on display at the tournament, as he came from two strokes behind after the first day to win his division with a low par of 34.

“It feels good to shoot such a low score at Doral because it’s a very tricky course and this was a really big tournament,” O’Kola said following his success.

He won ahead of Dacio Diaz (36) of Florida, and Canada's bronze medallist Edouard Marchand (38).

O’Kola is no stranger to international competitions, and this victory basically capped what was a successful year for the impressive young golfer.

Earlier in the year, he placed first in tournaments in Uganda and South Africa and won the lowest round in both tournaments. Those results followed a successful 2022 season in which he won the Pepsi Little People’s Tournament in Quincy, Illinois with a score of 29, which was one of the lowest scores in the history of the tournament.

O’Kola, who attends Providence Elementary School, also came first at Doral, and was on the podium at tournaments in Italy and Brazil.

Shane Lowry is “not surprised by anything” in golf after Jon Rahm’s move to LIV Golf but remains hopeful the men’s game can unite in the future.

The start of the Saudi-backed league in 2022 sent shockwaves through the sport, with the likes of Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia all leaving the PGA Tour to compete in LIV’s 54-hole, limited-field events.

Rahm had been a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour and while June’s framework agreement between the American circuit, the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – which bankrolls LIV – was hoped to bring the game back together, many players were publicly critical of the secretive nature of negotiations which led to the agreement.

Rahm’s move earlier this month was the latest chapter in a tumultuous period for the game and Lowry admits nothing surprises him anymore.

“We weren’t too surprised in the end, but I’m not surprised by anything that happens at the minute,” Lowry told reporters at the launch of the Irish Open.

“It had been rumoured for a while so there’s no smoke without fire, is there?”

After his switch, Rahm spoke of his hope that he would be able to continue to play across tours, a hope shared by his European Ryder Cup team-mate from 2021 and September’s 16.6-11.5 win over the United States.

“Hopeful is the word I’d use,” added Lowry.

“I mean, I’m not involved in anything. I just try to worry about my own thing and get on with my own game.

“But I’d be very hopeful that at some stage in the near future we will be back playing the same tournaments together and I think that’s what the world of golf needs.”

Tiger Woods described his weekend as “so special” after finishing tied for fifth alongside son Charlie at the PNC Championship.

The 15-time major winner and his 14-year-old son combined for a round of 61 in Orlando on Sunday to finish on 19 under par, six shots behind winners Bernhard Langer and his son Jason.

Woods, who also had daughter Sam caddying for him, was somewhat overshadowed as Charlie provided their round’s highlight with a chip-in on the ninth.

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“To have both my kids out there the last two days has been so special,” said Woods, who recently returned to competitive action after ankle surgery.

“I think that a lot of things are aching a lot more than my ankle, which is the way it goes.

“It’s been nice to knock off a lot of the rust and some of the doubt that I’ve had because quite frankly I haven’t hit a shot that counted in a long time.”