Rory McIlroy struggled with a cold putter but believes he can still win a record fifth Hero Dubai Desert Classic and his third in a row.
The world number three made just 39 feet of putts in a one-under 71 to go into the weekend nine shots behind Scot Ewen Ferguson on the three-under.
But after coming from ten strokes behind at halfway to win last year, the Holywood star fancies his chances on a course that will only get firmer and more challenging.
“A little frustrated,” McIlroy said after making his longest putt of the day, a seven-footer for a closing birdie, at the par-five 18th.
“But I thought the conditions were a little tricky. This afternoon, the wind was up a little bit more. The greens started to get a little bit firmer.
“Yeah, you know, it was hard to hit it close and make a ton of birdies. I know a couple of people did, but overall, I felt like the scoring this afternoon was not quite as good as the scoring this morning.”
Ferguson eagled the last from five feet to card a seven-under 65 to leapfrog the clubhouse leader, New Zealander Daniel Hillier, and get to 12-under before immediately asking what McIlroy had shot.
The Co Down man has an incredible record at Emirates Golf Club and he’s confident he can reel in the leader with better putting.
“You know, get out there early tomorrow and try to post a score and get myself up the leaderboard and give myself a chance for Sunday,” he said of his gameplan.
As for his form on the greens, he attributed his lack of success to “misreads.”
“They are really tricky,” he said of the greens. “There’s a lot of grain, a lot of grain doing different ways, double breakers.
“Felt like I was hitting pretty good putts. Burned a lot of edges. So I just have to keep trying to make committed strokes and make good reads, and hopefully, sooner or later, they are going to drop.”
While Ferguson is already at 12-under, McIlroy does not see the winning score being much lower.
“Yeah, I think so, especially the way the golf course is going,” he said of his confidence in making a weekend charge.
“Obviously 11-under is leading. You know, Ewen Ferguson might get there if he birdies the last [he eagled to get to 12-under].
“I’d say the winning score isn’t going to be much above what the leader is right now, especially the way the course is going to play over the weekend, and especially the way this golf course has played over the weekend the last couple years.
“The greens will continue to get a little bit firmer and will put such a premium on putting it in the fairway and hitting a lot of greens.
“If I can focus on that over the weekend, get a couple of putts to drop, I think I’ve still got a decent chance.”
Tom McKibbin came home in four under 33 to card a 69, which left him just seven shots off the pace on five-under.
But Padraig Harrington finished bogey-bogey for a 73 to miss the level par cut by a shot, missing putts from five and six feet on the last two greens.