It was a day for patience on Saturday and Justin Harding was patient enough to card a one-under-par 71 in the third round of the DP World Tour’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club and take a two-stoke lead into the final day.

It was not so much ‘moving day’ with tough pin positions making four-under the low round of the day, as it was ‘holding on for dear life day’, and one bogey and two birdies took Harding to 12-under for the tournament. That gave him a two-stroke advantage over Rory McIlroy, who signed for a three-under 69 and is lurking dangerously ahead of the closing round. Tommy Fleetwood and Harding’s compatriot Erik van Rooyen were in a share of third on nine-under.

Harding started steadily with seven consecutive pars, while Tyrell Hatton made three birdies to draw level with Harding in the lead. Both players dropped a shot on eight, and then Hatton edged into the lead with a birdie on 10. But, while Harding was able to keep things tidy in the face of difficulties, and picked up birdies on 12 and 13, Hatton’s dominance was starting to unravel. He bogeyed 12, and then dropped another shot on 14.

But it was a double-bogey five on the par-three 15^th which put paid to any chance Hatton had of leading into Sunday. He pulled his tee shot left, and was unable to get it more than nine feet towards the green from the native area. His next shot overshot the green, and he was only able to get down from there in two.

McIlroy had three bogeys on his card, but an eagle and four birdies put him right into contention, and, with an aggressive approach in the final round, he will be tough to put away for Harding.

So will Fleetwood who has looked increasingly impressive all week, and so will Van Rooyen who has looked a likely winner for two weeks now. Van Rooyen was as steady as Harding was, with two bogeys being balanced by three birdies in his third-round 71.

George Coetzee and Brandon Stone were on three-under in a share of 23^rd, Dean Burmester was on two-under after a 69 in a share of 33^rd, while Daniel van Tonder’s level-par 72 left him at level-par for the tournament in a share of 45^th. Justin Walters was on two-over, Charl Schwartzel on three-over, and Garrick Higgo on five-over.