Hatton smashes tee marker but in contention in Dubai

Dubai Desert Classic third-round leaderboard

-13 D Hillier (NZ); -12 T Hatton (Eng); -10 E Ferguson (Sco); -9 R Fox (NZ), L Canter (Eng); -8 T McKibbin (NI), D Frittelli (SA), C Hill (Sco), S Norris (SA).

Selected others: -6 R MacIntyre (Sco), R McIlroy (NI); -4 T Clements (Eng), M Wallace (Eng); -3 R Mansell (Eng), T Fleetwood (Eng); -2 R Ramsay (Sco), M Armitage (Eng), J Smith (Eng).

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England’s Tyrrell Hatton was spoken to by officials after his third round at the Dubai Desert Classic for smashing a tee marker in frustration on the seventh hole.

The three-time Ryder Cup player went on to bogey the eighth and ninth but recovered his composure on the back nine to card a four-under-par 68 for a 12-under total – one off the lead held by New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.

Hatton said it had been a frustrating day at Emirates Golf Club.

“Yes, I probably shouldn’t have done it,” he told BBC Sport. “Does it make me a bad person? No. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It happened. I can’t go back and change it so just move on.

“I am happy with how I played the back nine with and I could easily have been a few shots better with the putts that I missed. But I am in a good position going into the final round.

“Tomorrow is another round of golf and I should have enough experience to just go out and play. I am in a great position to give myself a chance of winning the tournament.

“Hopefully I can be more patient when I need to be.”

Hillier, whose only DP World Tour title is the 2023 British Masters, finished his third round with back-to-back birdies.

He started strongly with three birdies in his first five holes to go four shots clear, but three consecutive bogeys from the 13th gave the rest of the field a chance to catch up.

But he holed from six feet at the 17th before picking up another birdie at the final hole for a two-under 70.

Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, who led at halfway, shot a two-over-par 74 to sit on 10 under, one ahead of England’s Laurie Canter and Ryan Fox of New Zealand.

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is one of a group of four players tied for sixth on eight under after carding a second successive 69 while his compatriot Rory McIlroy posted the same score to lie equal 12th on six under.