Dubai Desert Classic third-round draw sees tee-gate rivals Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed kept apart

The alchemy of the draw sheet takes with one hand and gives with the other. While Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed stayed apart for the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic, those with a devilish bent may be fascinated by one of the above groups.

That will see Henrik Stenson depart at 8:15am local time in the company of the man who replaced him as European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald. One way or another, the subplots of this tournament simply won’t let LIV’s narrative die.

Of course, the main head-to-head in that regard has yet to take place, and needless to say, it would see the McIlroy vs. Reed matchup, which for a while on Saturday seemed to be on the cards. For all the seriousness of those who rule the sport in such confused times, you suspect the sponsors here would like nothing more than the crescendo of a final loop shootout on Monday.

Rory McIlroy has not been paired with rival Patrick Reed for the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic

It remains a possibility as the stars of the tee-gate, or storm on the top of the tee, if you prefer, are locked together at eight under par. That leaves the world number 1 and LIV rebel just two behind the lead shared by Belgian Thomas Pieters, American fan Michael Thorbjornsen and Richard Bland, the 49-year-old from Burton upon Trent, who for many on the DP World Tour is seen as the acceptable face of LIV.

Adding to LIV’s flavor on the leaderboard, McIlroy joined Bernd Wiesberger, a former Ryder Cup teammate for Europe at eight under par, who will be part of their third round group. The dynamic between a maverick maverick and LIV’s staunchest critic will be interesting to watch, though McIlroy is most likely more focused on shaking off the rust from his four-week winter break.

Unlike the first round, in which he somehow hit a 66 on a series of lame swings, his 70 on Saturday was marked by numerous unsuccessful drives. He hit only two fairways all day and his short game bailed him out in a big way, so he felt some relief to be in the thick of it.

But Henrik Stenson (left) has been paired with Luke Donald (right), the man who replaced him as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

At this point, those fights have long since outweighed any desire to prolong the discussions around Reed. When McIlroy was asked what he thought about the possibility of being in the American group, he said: ‘I need to fix my game. That’s how I think. I need to go to the shooting range, I need to fix everything. I need to straighten out my tee shots and feel like I have a chance to get in over the next two days.

The 33-foot putt he sank for eagle at 13, the highlight in a frustrating round of 15 pars, ensured he still has that chance.

Bland, meanwhile, has come up with an intriguing shot from left field. His popularity among his peers survived the move to the Saudi-backed LIV tour, largely due to his age and his long service on the European circuit, where he earned a very good living, but not the kind of fabulous wealth. familiar to many of those who collected.

Richard Bland says he’s glad he didn’t experience any animosity about joining LIV

He said: ‘I think everyone understands my position at the age that I am and the opportunity that is presented to me. I don’t think anyone in that position would have turned him down. I may be wrong, I usually do, but I think everyone would have accepted it and I’m glad they did.

“I think if he had had bad comments towards me or animosity from the guys, I’m sure maybe it could have had a knock-on effect with me, but there hasn’t been, so I’ve been able to go.” go out and play.

“If I was exempt from the Champions Tour, I probably wouldn’t have taken it because that’s where I saw my future.” But the Champions Tour is the toughest tour in the world to get exempt from and sometimes you have to take the opportunity in front of you and that’s what I did and I’m glad I did.