Marcel Siem slips on day three while Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy stay within striking distance of the lead.
At the third day of the DP World Tour season opener, the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort in the United Arab Emirates, German player Marcel Siem dropped 16 places to T25 on the leaderboard, failing to match his prior successes. Siem started promisingly with two birdies on holes 3 and 4 on the front nine, but two bogeys at the end of the first half dampened the 45-year-old’s start.
Siem Drops Back on Moving Day
On the back nine, Siem from the Düsseldorf area made four more bogeys. Two birdies on holes 10 and 14 could not stop his slump, and he finished the third day with a 73, two strokes over par. After round three, Siem stands in the middle of the leaderboard at one stroke over par.
Also from Düsseldorf, Nicolai von Dellingshausen slightly improved his trend from the previous days. He began the front nine with two birdies and one bogey, completing it solidly. On the back nine, von Dellingshausen remained error-free until hole 15, having made a birdie on hole 13.
However, hole 15 proved costly: he hit his tee shot out of bounds, resulting in two penalty strokes. Although he needed only three strokes for the par-4 hole afterward, the penalties led to a double bogey. On the final hole, the 18th, von Dellingshausen also recorded a double bogey after missing a short putt from a bunker. Despite improving to a 73 (+2) round, he sits at twelve strokes over par tied for 53rd, dropping two spots on the leaderboard.
At the top of the Dubai Invitational, the competition remains intense. Spanish player Nacho Elvira now holds the sole lead on the leaderboard. Elvira posted an even front nine with a birdie and a bogey, then shone on the back nine with a bogey-free 33 featuring three additional birdies. His 68 at eight under par puts him two shots clear of his closest pursuers.
DP World Tour: Lowry, Armitage, and Frittelli in Pursuit
Irishman Shane Lowry, last Ryder Cup match winner, slipped to T2 with a 70 in round three. He shares second place with England’s Marcus Armitage, who improved by one spot with a 68, and South African Dylan Frittelli, who climbed seven positions with a bogey-free 66. All three are six strokes under par, two behind Elvira, still well positioned to challenge on the final day.
<