Mike Lorenzo Vera is standing in unchartered territory at the DP World Championship.
The unheralded Frenchman has never held a share of a 54-hole in a European Tour event yet there he is, tied atop the leaderboard at this massive season-ender in Dubai.
Vera lost his solo 36-hole lead and will go into the final 18 holes tied with the imposing Jon Rahm. The powerful Spaniard birdied the final hole Saturday to shoot 66 and tie Vera for the 54-hole lead at 15-under par.
Vera already accomplished one breakthrough in his third round — he’s never broken 70 after holding a 36-hole lead and he finished with 69 despite a closing bogey at the 18th, a hole that yields birdies and eagles willingly. It was the second straight day that Vera missed a par putt from inside six feet to close his round.
Rahm is in position to not only win the event and the massive $3 million first place money but he can also win the overall Race To Dubai. But he’s not the only big name applying pressure to the winless Vera. Rory McIlroy recovered from his 74 on day two and closed with the day’s low round — a seven-under par 65. He missed his chance to shoot another 64 when his second at the 18th round the meandering creek to the left of the putting surface. Rory did manage to save par.
“I spent time on the range Friday and corrected my left knee action,” McIlroy said. “That’s what life is all about,” he said. “It’s learning from what you do and being of a present mind so that you can learn as you go. I sort of figured out what I did wrong yesterday and I was able to rectify it somewhat today and get myself back in the tournament. Winning would be really cool, especially with the guys that are up there around the lead. You’ve got Rahmbo (Jon Rahm) playing great, Tommy, obviously, Mike is holding steady up there. I’ve got to play another really good round of golf tomorrow to have a chance but it would be awesome to win around here again and obviously cap off what has been a great 2019. It is nice to come back to courses that you’re familiar with all the time and that brings its own advantages compared to maybe some of the other guys in the field. It’s been a great year so far and this is my last event of the year. It would be wonderful going into the break to finish on a high.”
McIlroy’s seven-under effort got him to 13-under. He’s alone in third, just two back and he’ll play in the penultimate pairing Sunday with Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood’s round of 70 left him at 11-under and four shots behind.
Vera was incredibly steady all day until he got to the closing hole where he hit his drive in the creek that bisects the fairway. He hit his third on the front of the green but found himself 70 feet from the hole. His lag left him with a seven-footer for par and like Friday, he missed that short putt after making putts for crucial par saves all day.
If Vera holds on for his first win, the first place money is nearly equal to his total earnings the past three seasons on the European Tour.
DP World Tour Championship Scoreboard:
