Rory McIlroy fighting through ‘weird’ play at Dubai Desert Classic

John McAuley reports on Rory McIlroy's cold-and-hot third round on Saturday at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Rory McIlroy reacts after a tee shot during the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday. Ali Haider / EPA / February 6, 2016

DUBAI // Like most of the media huddled around, and in all likelihood the majority of those watching in person or on television, Rory McIlroy struggled to explain what had just transpired.

The defending champion at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic had come off a Jekyll and Hyde third round at Emirates Golf Club, one that mixed some typical ball-striking bravado with uncharacteristic struggles around a track he knows so well.

Even more bizarrely, it was eerily similar to the previous day.

“It’s weird,” McIlroy said with a sigh after signing for a 4-under 68, a round that required six birdies on the back nine to rescue it. “There’s a lot of good stuff in there obviously, but mixed in with a lot of (rubbish) at the same time. There’s not much consistency. There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot of not-so-good.”

See more: 2016 Omega Dubai Desert Classic final round pairings and tee times

The “not-so-good” was largely confined to the Majlis front nine, just like on Friday when he stumbled through the opening stretch in 3-over par.

Out yesterday in 2-over, which included a bogey on seven and a double on nine, McIlroy then conjured a birdie blitz from the 10th and came home in 31.

When the dust had settled, he concluded the day on 8-under overall to lay eight shots off leader Danny Willett.

He also had just as many questions as answers.

“If there was one thing that was going wrong all the time, at least you can put your finger on it and have a plan to try to rectify it,” McIlroy said.

“But here, it’s one minute I’ll miss a tee shot right, and the next one, I’ll miss an iron shot left.”

Making only his second appearance of 2016, McIlroy put his inconsistency down in some part to a little early season rust, but was understandably frustrated that his errant play followed no pattern.

He also resigned himself to not following last year’s triumph with a third Coffee Pot trophy.

“It’s a tall order,” McIlroy said. “It is going to be a long shot. I came back from seven shots behind at Wentworth a couple of years ago, so it’s not out of the realms of possibility.

“But, at the same time, it’s a great field here.”

While others may pick holes in what was not quite on point, McIlroy presumably long ago resolved not to take any heed of the needle-pickers and the naysayers. As the current world No 2 and a four-time major champion already, the approach seems to have served the 26-yearold well thus far.

“Honestly, I don’t pay too much attention to it,” he said. “I know in my mind what isn’t up to my standards, what I need to get right. As I said, there’s a lot to be encouraged about.”

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