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Rory McIlroy in contention to reclaim world No 1 spot at Torrey Pines with Tiger Woods within striking distance

Rory McIlroy set himself the target of winning six times in 2020 - FR59680 AP
Rory McIlroy set himself the target of winning six times in 2020 - FR59680 AP

Rory McIlroy has yet to taste victory on his first start in a season in 13 years as a professional. With the world No 1 position on the line, this could be the perfect time to redress that anomaly.

Certainly the 30-year-old will have a shot at the win at the Farmers Insurance Open he requires to leapfrog Brooks Koepka and so top the rankings for the first time in almost five years. A third-round 67 at Torrey Pines hurtled him to nine-under and into tantalising contention.

McIlroy was kicking himself in one sense, because if his putter had been anywhere close to its best behaviour then he could have truly fired a low number on the difficult South Course at the San Diego resort. However, his frustration was tempered by the form of his long game. McIlroy’s irons, in particular, were pin sharp.

Tiger Woods will have his own extra incentive to win as he tries to lift a record 83rd PGA Tour title. After a two-hour delay to his round because of fog - “I just went to the car and turned the heater on,” Woods said - the 44-year-old compiled a third-round 69 that was a typical rollercoaster; picking up four birdies in a front-side 32, before hanging on coming in to get in on seven-under for the tournament. The par-five 18th highlighted his competitive spirit.

Woods found a fairway bunker off the tee, laid up to wedge range but then short-sided himself in the greenside bunker long and right. The best he could manage was to splash out to 15 feet. No matter, he holed the putt for a par. Together with his chip-in for par on the fourth, it summed up what Woods is all about.

Tiger Woods flips his club after his shot on the fourth hole - Credit: USA Today
Tiger Woods had a fast start but was ragged on the back nine Credit: USA Today

“I’ll have to post a low one tomorrow,” he said. No doubt, but Woods has won eight times at Torrey - the scene of his unforgettable 2008 US Open triumph - and it would take a brave person to write him off.

In the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, all eyes will be on the first tee at 12.38pm local time when Eddie Pepperell and Bryson DeChambeau go off in a long-awaited two-ball in the final round.

Both are in contention to win the £415,000 first prize, although there will be as much interest in the interaction between the pair after their long-running row as there will be in the leaderboard.

It all began last August when DeChambeau infamously took two minutes 20 seconds to hit an eight-foot putt at the Northern Trust.

Watching on TV, Pepperell was incensed and expressed sympathy for DeChambeau’s playing partners, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, labelling DeChambeau an “unaffected single minded twit” who “doesn’t care much for others”.

DeChambeau was not pleased, terming Pepperell’s criticism as ‘not fair’. “I would love to speak to him personally and talk about it," DeChambwau said. "We are all trying to do our best to play well and make our livelihoods and win tournaments. But when you start personally attacking people on Twitter, it's like, come on, dude. Let's have some balls to come up and speak to me to my face about that."

Pepperell has yet to do so and tweeted this when discovering who he was playing with today: {SUNDAY}  “Fully understand if Bryson wants to keep hitting it 40 [yards] past me tomorrow so we don’t have to chat.”

DeChambeau, the defending champion, is on nine-under alongside Tom Lewis after a 70 three off the pace set by China’s Ashun Wu. Frenchman Victor Perez is on 10-under, with Pepperell on eight-under and another Englishman in Tommy Fleetwood on seven-under and far from out of it.