Rory McIlroy has a lot of work to do if he is to catch Patrick Reed out in Dubai over the next two days.
Reed leads the Dubai Desert Classic by one shot, and he is seven clear of McIlroy heading into the final 36 holes.
After his second round on Friday, Reed admitted that his game has been in great shape in Dubai this week.
The onus will very much be on McIlroy to chase him down on Saturday.
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Rory McIlroy has won the tournament four times (2009, 2015, 2023, and 2024)
If Reed maintains his current form, though, it will be extremely hard for the five-time major winner to do just that.
So, does the Northern Irishman still believe a victory in Dubai is possible this week?
Rory McIlroy responds when asked if he thinks he can catch Patrick Reed in Dubai
This week in Dubai has been a slow burner for McIlroy.
The good news is that he bettered his opening round 73 by four shots on Friday.
However, he may well have to make a similar improvement on Saturday if he is to stand a chance of winning the Dubai Desert Classic.
McIlroy was asked whether he believes he will be able to catch Reed over the weekend in Dubai.
“It’s up there. I think I came from ten behind a couple years ago to win. I think I’m seven back at the minute.
“Yeah, if I go out there tomorrow, maybe in slightly better conditions in the morning and post a low one, then I’ll be right in the mix come Sunday.“
We all know that McIlroy possesses the skillset needed to hunt down Reed.
However, whether or not he is able to put everything together for 36 holes remains to be seen.
Rory McIlroy delivers verdict on the state of his game in Dubai
McIlroy has clearly been nowhere near his best in Dubai this week.
However, it does seem like the Northern Irishman’s game is close to clicking.
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“I thought the game, like the long game clicked a little bit better today,“ he said.
“I hit a lot better iron shots. I think just I had a lot of putts that looked like they were going to go in but didn’t.
I feel like I gave myself plenty of opportunities, and I didn’t take maybe as many as I wanted to. But I’m sure everyone in the field feels that way, as well.
“But I have a tee time tomorrow, and hopefully shoot a good one and get right back in contention.“
McIlroy will need the full package on Saturday and Sunday, if he is to have any chance of catching Reed at the Dubai Desert Classic.
And if he could hand-pick one course to try and mount a comeback from seven behind, it may well be the Emirates Golf Club.
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