McIlroy moves within a stroke of Dubai lead

Further down the leaderboard, Lee Slattery played a four-hole stretch along the back nine in six under, with back-to-back eagles helping him to a third-round 68 to get him back under par for the week.

Even though he had won his maiden European Tour title three weeks previously, in South Africa – and he would go on to win there again not long after – Sullivan was definitely the least luminous of that trio.

Resuming four shots off the pace, McIlroy got off to the flawless start by opening with back-to-back birdies, before adding another gain from ten feet at the fourth to get within one of the Englishman. E verything was just firing today and that’s why I’m walking off the golf course a little bit disappointed because that 65 could have easily been a 62 or a 61. I’m going to go out and play golf and enjoy watching Rory play golf.

“I’m treating it like a normal event because I’m just here to win and I know if I win, then everything else will take care of itself”, McIlroy said. I hit the ball beautifully.

“But at the same time, I feel it could have been a lot better”.

“At the end of the season, if I walk away with four wins, it’s still pretty good”.

McIlroy has a lead of just 1,613 points over Willett in the Race to Dubai, with Rose more than 600,000 points further back and needing to finish second or better to overtake his Ryder Cup team-mate. “I might be one shot behind but those are deficits I’ve made up before”.

Sullivan had begun the day on 12-under, one stroke ahead of Grillo and four clear of the world number three McIlroy. “It would have been nice to get a couple more, but I’m happy with 65”.

“If you ask them they’ll probably say I was only there for about six months because I was asleep in the changing room half the time”, joked Sullivan, whose supporters wear T-shirts with a bright yellow smiley face on the front to reflect the 29-year-old’s irrepressible personality.

Reed, starting three shots back in third place, is bullish about his chances and has already thought of a suitable venue for the victory party.

“We are thinking of maybe going to the At.mosphere restaurant in the tallest building [Burj Khalifa]”.