The Adrian Meronk Diary: I was pretty pleased with myself to be tied for second

After shooting a steady two-under-par 70 on Saturday I am energized for the fourth round at one of my favourite tournaments of the year - the HERO Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.

I am two behind third-round leader Cameron Young (US) which is not a bad place to be heading into the championship round.

My tee time is at 12.30 pm and I will be playing alongside a former Dubai Desert Classic champion - Haotong Li (China) with the final group nine minutes behind us.

I missed out on being in the final group as I handed in my card after Rory McIlroy’s 63 as first in - last out are tournament rules in next-day draws.

I was pretty pleased with my performance as I had another four birdies on my card – two on the front and two on the back. Two bogeys at the end of my front nine cost me.

It seemed a lot more challenging today – Rory’s 63 was a bit special. There were only another six players who broke 70 in the third round, with Rory’s third-round playing partner Joaquin Niemann (Chile) shooting the next best of 67.

I had my usual warm-down on the range after my round today to prepare for Sunday which is a big day for me and the others near the top of the leaderboard.

Rolex Series Events carry significant OWGR and Race to Dubai points.

I hope I can continue my strong play and more importantly my good scoring.

After tomorrow I fly to the US on Monday and the PGA Tour to play in the Farmers Insurance at Torrey Pines – South Course. Day one is on Wednesday with a Saturday finish so a good final round at the Emirates Golf Club will make the long flight so much more comfortable.

As I said during this week’s Khaleej Times Diary I am currently 50th in the Official World Golf Ranking OWGR – I have hardly moved in 12 months.

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Fingers crossed I have a decent round Sunday and can create some momentum to carry forward for the rest of the season.

Onwards and upwards!

Speak to you soon.

Adrian, 30-years-old, a Dubai resident, is a four time winner on the DP World Tour.

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