DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Danny Willett shot a second successive round of seven-under par 65 to enjoy a one-shot advantage on top of the Dubai Desert Classic leaderboard after the third round Saturday.

The Englishman, who made a gallant attempt to win the European Tour number one crown but eventually finished second to Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, moved to 16-under par for the tournament, with 2012 champion Rafael Cabrera-Bello in second place at 15-under with his third consecutive round of 67.

Defending champion McIlroy saved his round with another blistering back nine performance, but will begin the final day eight shots behind Willett at 208 after a four-under par 68 round.

England’s Andy Sullivan (66), who finished runner-up to McIlroy in November’s DP World Tour Championship, was third at 202, Netherland’s Joost Luiten (67) fourth at 203 and recent Joburg Open winner, Hadyn Porteus of South Africa, fifth at 204.

Four-time major champion Ernie Els, who started the day just one shot behind the leader, struggled to a two-over par 74 round and fell back to a tie for 28th place at seven-under par.

Willett’s only bogey of the day came on the par-4 12th hole, one of the toughest on the course. But he made amends in stunning fashion when he made a 40-feet eagle putt on the next hole, the par-5 13th, and jumped out of the logjam as a sole leader.

Another birdie on the 17th gave him further cushion, and Willett said after the round: “Back-to-back 65s don’t happen that often. Just some great golf yesterday and today. Kept the ball under fantastic control with some crosswinds, hit it in there close. Did everything right really.

“A couple hiccups in there today where it could have been a little different but kept the head on and kept moving forward.

“I think if anyone says they don’t think about it (how the round will play when leading), they are lying. You think about it, you get into your head, you kind of go through scenarios, bad and good and try to even them out so that when you come out.”

Cabrera-Bello, who was fast off the blocks with an eagle on the third, where he holed his bunker shot, and a long, 30-feet birdie putt on the fourth, wasn’t getting carried away about the possibility of winning a second Desert Classic.

“That really would be amazing, but there’s still a lot to play for. I need to play aggressive, keep playing as good as I have been to give myself a chance,” Cabrera-Bello said.

“Lots of players are not far off the lead and all of them are going to have a chance tomorrow and they are definitely as hungry as I am, if not more. So I just have to play my best, stay positive, and try to make lots of birdies.”

McIlroy, who played the back nine in six-under par, did not rule out his chances on Sunday, but admitted it would be a tough task.

“I would have to play the front nine much better than I have the last two days. I’ve played it in five-over and that’s just not good enough,” said the world number two, who could also slip to third in the world ranking if he did not finish inside the top-eight.

“It’s going to be a long shot. I came back from seven shots behind at Wentworth (2014 PGA Championship), so it’s not out of the realms of possibility, but this is a great field and I’ll need the wind to blow this afternoon.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Ernie Els surged into contention Friday at the Dubai Desert Classic, while Rory McIlroy struggled just to make the cut.

The 46-year-old Els, who has dropped to 205th in the world after struggling with yips over the past year, shot a 5-under 67 to move to within one shot of the lead at the halfway stage of a tournament he has won three times.

Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, winner here in 2012, shot his second consecutive 67 to grab a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend.

Els, who was tied with compatriot Trevor Fisher Jr. and England’s Danny Willett at 9-under, made several crucial par putts to keep a bogey-free round.

“It’s an exact turnaround from a couple weeks ago where I was dreading to get on the greens,” he said. “I’m actually enjoying it on the greens. The surfaces are just unbelievable and I’ve got a lot more confidence in the stroke and in the setup and all of that stuff. It has almost got a smile out of me right now.”

Defending champion McIlroy shot a 72 to finish at 4-under 140 after two rounds, six shots off the lead. He had three birdies in his last three holes.

“I struggled in the wind a little bit and didn’t get off to the best of starts again,” McIlroy said. “Being 2-over through four on this golf course when you have a couple of good birdie chances wasn’t great.”

“The middle of the round was tough,” he added. “There were a few holes that were playing really tough, and I struggled on those, but I bounced back well and persevered and got something out of the round in the end. I just need to make sure I get off to a fast start tomorrow.”

Cabrera-Bello, who had just one bogey in his first 36 holes, credited his putter for his strong showing Friday.

“I mean, today has been a little bit of a different round to yesterday,” the Spaniard said. “Yesterday, I really felt I played great until the green. I gave myself lots of chances.

“And today was the exact opposite. I didn’t play as good, as sharp. It was windy. I didn’t quite find my tempo but the putting was extremely hot today. I rolled one of the best putting rounds of my life today, so that made up for everything else.”

Henrik Stenson shot a 68 to stay in contention at 137, but Louis Oosthuizen was among those who missed the cut. Also missing the cut were Germany’s Martin Kaymer, European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, two-time Dubai champion Stephen Gallacher and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy started the defense of his Dubai Desert Classic title with a bogey but battled back to post a 4-under 68 on Thursday, leaving him two shots off the lead.

McIlroy bogeyed two of the easiest holes on the course – the par-5 10th, which was his first hole, and the driveable par-4 second – but also had six birdies to put him close behind leader Alex Noren of Sweden.

“I thought I did well, considering the start and having some of the shots I hit throughout the round,” McIlroy said. “A 68 was probably a fair reflection of how I played. I don’t feel like I could have really gone any lower than that but at the same time, I gave myself enough chances to make some birdies.”

Ernie Els, the most successful player in the history of the tournament with three titles and eight other top-10 finishes, matched McIlroy’s 68. The four-time major champion hit 17 greens and putted well with his new grip.

Four players were tied at 5-under 67 – Sweden’s Peter Hanson, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Australia’s Brett Rumford and South African Trevor Fisher Jr.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, playing alongside McIlroy, opened with a 3-under 69.

The new changes in the course, where the fairways have been made firmer and grass has been shaved off the fringe of the greens, troubled McIlroy, who has never finished outside the top 10 in his last six starts at the Emirates Golf Club.

On McIlroy’s first hole, his second shot landed on the green and rolled off into the back bunker, from where he needed two shots to come out. Then, on the par-5 dogleg 18th, he hit a towering draw with his driver but the ball went through the fairway and into the water hazard. McIlroy then hit a great third shot from 198 yards and walked away with an unlikely birdie.

“All in all, a decent day, decent score,” he said. “I think with the way the weather conditions are, it’s made the golf course quite tricky out there. I don’t think I’ll ever hit as many bunker shots.”

DOHA, Qatar – Branden Grace successfully defended his Qatar Masters title on Saturday, becoming the first player to do so since the tournament began in 1998.

The South African shot a 3-under 69 on another wind-swept day at Doha Golf Club to win the second leg of the European Tour’s so-called “Desert Swing” by two shots over Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70) and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (71).

Grace shot an overall 14-under 274 for his seventh European Tour title.

Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, the overnight leader by two shots, faded away with a 78 and finished tied for 13th at 281, while Spain’s Sergio Garcia (70) shared seventh alongside South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (71) at 8-under 280.

Grace made the turn at 1 under with a lone bogey on the fifth after starting with a birdie and adding another on the sixth hole. The turning point came on the par-5 ninth, where Lawrie pulled his tee shot way left and finished with a double bogey to hand over the sole lead to Grace.

Grace is a traditionally strong finisher on the tough back nine here and the highlight Saturday was smashing his tee shot 327 yards on the par-5 18th, followed by an iron to 30 feet away and two-putting for a birdie.

“To win is tough, but to defend is even tougher,” Grace said. “It’s brutal conditions out there.”

Cabrera-Bello had one birdie and one double bogey in his first 15 holes, but finished in better weather with three straight birdies.

“It’s just a tough day, it was common to make mistakes,” he said.

DOHA, Qatar – Paul Lawrie earned a two-shot lead at a windy Doha Golf Club on Friday to close in on an unprecedented third Qatar Masters title.

The overnight leader started the third round with 13 straight pars before making his first birdie on the 14th hole, then picked up another shot on the par-5 18th to finish at 2-under-par 70.

He was on top of the leaderboard at 13 under, two ahead of Branden Grace, who had his chance to make history: The first player to successfully defend the title.

“Conditions were tough, but to go around there and not have a bogey …,” Lawrie said. “It is a little bit frustrating for me. I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in.”

The 47-year-old Lawrie hasn’t won on the European Tour since 2012, the same year he won in Doha for the second time.

At 11 under overall with South Africa’s Branden Grace (68) was Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (69).

Grace finished his bogey-free round with three successive birdies.

“Patience was the name of the game. It was a brutal day out there,” Grace said. “The wind was blowing and the greens were tricky. I pretty much got the most out of my round today. So 4 under was a great score.”

Olesen, winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year, showed good touch in a 69 that featured one bogey on the fifth hole.

“To be honest, I played great down the last nine holes. Gave myself so many chances,” Olesen said.

Sergio Garcia made a 50-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole to console himself after a poor round of 2-over 74. He was seven shots off the pace.

DOHA, Qatar – Paul Lawrie benefited from a putting tip off a friend in shooting a 6-under 66 at the Qatar Masters, giving the former British Open champion a one-shot lead after the second round on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Lawrie followed up a first-round 67 to move to 11-under par, a stroke clear of Nicolas Colsaerts (68).

Lawrie missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week and was given some putting advice from fellow Scottish player Marc Warren, who said Lawrie’s stroke was too long and slow.

“I’ve been working on it the last couple of days and certainly feels as though I’ve got it,” said Lawrie, who rolled in seven birdies on Thursday and has 13 in all this week as he bids to win the event for a third time.

Joint first-round leaders Louis Oosthuizen (73) and Pablo Larrazabal (72) dropped off the leaderboard, while Sergio Garcia was in a five-way tie for sixth place after a 66 that included a long putt for birdie on No. 8. It prompted Garcia to dance a jig of delight on the green.

“I don’t know if they were dance moves. They were like jabs,” said Garcia, the 2014 champion. “When we got to the ninth tee, I said to my caddie and to the guys, ‘I think that celebration is going to look a little bit funny on TV.'”

Matthew Fitzpatrick, Stephen Gallacher, and Matteo Manassero were among those to miss the cut.

Lawrie is making his 16th appearance in Qatar. He won the event in 1999 and 2012, before going on to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup the same year.

Lawrie went out in the morning and avoided the worst of the windy conditions. Starting on the back nine, he birdied Nos. 10 and 12 and responded to a bogey at No. 15 by picking up more shots on the 16th and 18th holes. More birdies came on the fourth, seventh and ninth holes.

“I got a little frustrated after No. 15 because I thought, ‘You are not taking advantage of the conditions,'” Lawrie said.

Canada’s Mike Weir shot a 76 Friday for a two-day total of 149 (+5). He’ll miss the cut for a second straight week.

DOHA, Qatar – Louis Oosthuizen made another fast start to his first tournament of the year, shooting a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Qatar Masters to share the lead with Pablo Larrazabal on Wednesday.

The 2010 British Open champion has won his first event of the calendar year in four of the last five years, and is in a good position already in Qatar after rolling in seven birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I don’t know the reason why I always play well in January – probably because I’m well rested after a long break and a holiday. I should take more eight-week breaks,” said Oosthuizen, who is bidding to become the fourth South African winner in six events so far in the 2016 European Tour campaign.

“I enjoy the time away from the course and not touching my clubs, and afterwards I’m ready to go again and hungry to get back playing.”

Larrazabal also made seven birdies and no bogeys after the Spaniard hit 17 greens in regulation at Doha Golf Club, where 36 players broke 70 despite the windy conditions.

Andrew Johnston and Nicolas Colsaerts are a shot behind along with Swedish Challenge Tour graduate Bjorn Akesson, who was 7 under after 11 holes but bogeyed No. 8 – his 17th hole.

“I changed my grip a little bit this morning on the driving range, and it worked out really well today,” Akesson said. “So I would say that’s the key.”

Colsaerts, a big-hitting Belgian playing only his second event since mid-October, had six birdies.

Defending champion Branden Grace and 2014 winner Sergio Garcia shot 70s.

Mike Weir shot an opening-round 73 for a share of 80th at 1-over.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rickie Fowler puffed his cheeks and shook his head. What looked like being a procession to the Abu Dhabi Championship title ended up being a squeeze for the American on Sunday.

It needed two moments of inspiration in the final round to seal a one-shot victory – and spark more talk about Fowler’s place in golf’s current elite.

Dressed in his trademark Sunday orange, Fowler rebounded from a double-bogey at No. 7, which helped trim his lead over a congested pack of challengers from four strokes to one, by chipping in from 30 yards for eagle from a bunker at No. 8.

Then, at No. 17, Fowler holed a chip from just off the green for a birdie that shook off playing partner Thomas Pieters, the Belgian who emerged from the bunch to chase Fowler all the way down the stretch.

“It was not how it was planned,” a smiling Fowler said of the tight finish, “but came out on top.”

Fowler, who held a two-stroke lead after a third-round 65, shot a 3-under 69 for 16-under 272 overall. Pieters (67) was runner-up, with fast-finishing Rory McIlroy (68) and Henrik Stenson (67) tied for third.

There was satisfaction for Fowler with claiming his fourth win worldwide in nine months, after victories at The Players Championship, the Scottish Open, and the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2015. This win will move him from No. 6 to No. 4 in the rankings, for a first-ever spot in the world’s top five.

The so-called “Big Three” of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and McIlroy may need to be enlarged.

“I want to be part of the crew. It would be a pretty good foursome,” Fowler said. “I think I mentioned through the summer at some point, I said I was a sneaky fourth. We’ve got to take care of a major and then maybe I can join the crew.”

The win was extra special for Fowler, considering Spieth (No. 1), McIlroy (No. 3) and Stenson (No. 5) were in the field – arguably the strongest the European Tour will have this year.

Spieth tied for fifth – five shots behind Fowler – after a 68 and acknowledged after his final round that he was “beat up, mentally and physically,” having played in South Korea, China, Australia, Bahamas, Hawaii and now Abu Dhabi since October.

“I’m very tired. I am,” Spieth said. “I’m not 100 percent right.”

The championship went down to the wire. Fowler took a two-shot lead over Pieters down the par-5 18th and found a greenside bunker with his approach. Pieters gave himself a putt for eagle, which he missed left by an inch.

Fowler had two putts to win and he needed them both, with his winning effort from 2 feet.

“I didn’t do much wrong today,” said the big-hitting Pieters, who moved to within one shot of Fowler with a birdie on No. 13 but only parred his way to the 18th. “Next time maybe some more putts drop, that’s it.”

This is the first time Fowler has won during the first four months of a year. He has made a fashion statement this week by wearing high-top golf shoes and ankle-tight jogger pants, but he’s sent out a golfing message, too.

“Nice to have the game where it’s at right now going into the season, instead of trying to work on things,” he said. “I’d say this is really the first time in my career I’ve had that.”

It was another near miss for McIlroy, who adds a third place to his four runner-up finishes in Abu Dhabi at what is always his first event of each year.

McIlroy started the final round three shots behind Fowler and only came on strong late on, chipping in for birdie on No. 16 and rolling in a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 18.

“Seems like this could be the tournament that I just can’t quite master,” said McIlroy, who was making his 2016 debut after two months off. “But still a good finish and a lot of good golf there.”

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler were part of a five-way tie for the lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship after Andy Sullivan made a triple-bogey in fading light to relinquish a two-shot advantage late in a fog-affected third round on Saturday.

Sullivan drove into a bush, couldn’t find his ball, returned to the tee and eventually made a 7 at No. 9 in a dramatic finish to the day’s play, which ended with most of the field yet to finish their third rounds.

Sullivan dropped to 9 under and was a shot behind McIlroy, Fowler, Branden Grace, Ian Poulter, and Joost Luiten, who all have holes to play early Sunday before starting the final round.

“It’s a really bunched leaderboard,” said McIlroy, who ended his second round on Saturday morning with a birdie-eagle finish to be tied for second. “It will be a bit of a sprint to the finish.”

There are 21 players within three shots of the lead – and Jordan Spieth is among them.

The top-ranked American started the third round seven shots back and finished it in the gathering gloom and in a six-ball – a career-first – after barely beating the horn on the 9th tee. Indeed, the claxon sounded at the top of his backswing as he rushed to avoid an early morning return on Sunday.

Spieth is three shots back after a 4-under 68, and in need of what he called a “crazy round” to take victory in his first regular European Tour event.

Sullivan is one of five players a shot behind – with 2012 champion Robert Rock, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Pieters, and Rafael Cabrera-Bello – after his nightmare on his ninth hole, when he went way right off the tee. He searched for his ball in two separate bushes – McIlroy even came to help him – but had to reload.

Sullivan’s second drive found the rough on the right, his approach was short, his chip onto the green poor, and he two-putted from 10 feet.

“It wasn’t great to see,” McIlroy said. “I was hoping he would have made that putt just to give him a little bit of momentum going into tomorrow.”

McIlroy chased down Sullivan in the final round of the season-ending World Tour Championship in November, to clinch the Race to Dubai title. This time, it has happened earlier – and it was Sullivan who imploded.

The other member of the final group was Bryson DeChambeau, the American amateur with the self-styled nickname of “The Golf Scientist,” who plays with a set of home-made clubs that are all the same length. He started the third round tied on 8-under par with McIlroy, but dropped back to 7 under by the time play was suspended. The group still had nine holes to play.

DeChambeau removed his earphones, took off his flat cap, and approached McIlroy on the practice green ahead of his first round with the four-time major winner.

“I’m Bryson, nice to meet you,” DeChambeau said. And in another display of reverence, the U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion applauded when McIlroy’s name was announced on the first tee.

DeChambeau was about to learn just how much pressure is involved in contending in a top-class field at a high-profile professional event. He drove into the bunker on No. 1, then drove into the tree on the right on No. 2 to make bogey.

Fowler shot 68 in the second round and continued that form by picking up three birdies in the 10 holes he managed in the third round. Poulter, playing with a taped-up thumb that he “took a chunk out of” on Thursday, made four birdies in five holes around the turn and was 5-under after 13 holes of his third round.

Play started nearly three hours late – for the second straight day – because of thick morning fog.

Resuming on No. 14, McIlroy made three straight pars, to take his number for the round to 15, before landing approach shots inside two feet on Nos. 17 and 18. He nearly holed a wedge shot on No. 17, before hitting a 5-wood from 268 yards to 18 inches on the last. He tapped in his eagle putt for a 70.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and other big names slid off the leaderboard at the weather-affected Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday, leaving American amateur Bryson DeChambeau to chase clubhouse leader Andy Sullivan in the second round.

After fog delayed the start of play by nearly three hours, Sullivan shot a second straight 5-under 67 to move clear on 10-under and make another strong impression in front of his playing partner, European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke.

Spieth and McIlroy were in the marquee afternoon group, but both played erratically and were 1 over after 13 holes when play was suspended for the day because of darkness. Spieth was at 3 under and McIlroy at 5 under, with both struggling off the tee.

DeChambeau, the surprise first-round leader following a 64, was a shot behind Sullivan after playing nine holes in 1 under. Starting on No. 10, he made birdies on two of his first three holes but bogeyed No. 18 in the fading light.

Joost Luiten (68) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (67) were in the clubhouse on 7-under 137, with the leaderboard shorn of the tournament’s leading players. Henrik Stenson dropped three shots in 12 holes before play was suspended to fall to 4-under overall, and Branden Grace was on the same score after shooting 74.

The European Tour said the third round will be a two-tee start, in three balls, to make up for the lost time Friday.

Sullivan, one of the stars of the European Tour in 2015 with three victories, won three points from three matches for Europe in its big win over Asia in the EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last week. Clarke captained the Europeans for that event, a test run for the Ryder Cup, and has been further impressed by Sullivan’s play and attitude in Abu Dhabi – this time even closer up.

The 28-year-old Englishman started and finished his second round with three straight birdies.

“Darren knows what I can do, so I don’t think it was imperative (to play well here),” Sullivan said, “but it bodes well when you do.”

Clarke and Sullivan have been close friends since Sullivan turned professional in 2011 and the jokes have been flying between them this week.

“He has completely taken the mick out of me for two days and I have told him that if he keeps this up, a pick (for the Ryder Cup) is out of the question,” Clarke said.

Sullivan, known for his big smile and easygoing attitude, says Clarke has been playfully abusing him for being a “short, fat guy” but has been giving it back.

“He’s got 60 on his ball and, on the first tee, I said I didn’t realize you put your age on the ball,” Sullivan said, laughing. “I just try and have a bit of to-ing and fro-ing. It was good fun and kept it relaxed.”

DeChambeau is the 2015 U.S. Amateur and NCAA champion who plays with a home-made set of irons that are all the same length, explaining his self-styled nickname “The Golf Scientist.” He went out in the final group of the day, knowing he wouldn’t come close to completing his round, and made some ground back on Sullivan.

“I had adrenaline going, that’s for sure,” DeChambeau said. “But there’s no anxiety, no nerves. Doesn’t matter what the outcome is.”

The bogey on the par-5 18th – one of the easier holes at Abu Dhabi Golf Club – came after a bad second shot out of a fairway bunker.

Spieth bogeyed Nos. 4 and 5, and avoided finding the water off the tee on No. 9 when his hooked drive hit a spectator and finished in the rough. His only birdie was on No. 10, and the American is two shots above the projected cut of 1 under.

McIlroy made 12 pars and a bogey on No. 9 after pushing his drive toward the rocks on the edge of a lake.