• Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Round Three

Rose in pole position for Abu Dhabi title

Justin Rose is the man to beat in Abu Dhabi © Getty Images

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Abu Dhabi Golf Championship leaderboard

Justin Rose leads by two strokes heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship after another strong 18 holes on Saturday.

Rose is the highest ranked player left in the field following the failures of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who both missed the cut on Friday.

The Brit enjoyed another excellent front nine at the Abu Dhabi Golf Course, reaching the turn in 32 for the second time this week. Five birdies in six holes set his round alight, but he failed to build on that as a 68 allowed his chasers back into contention.

Rose's lead at one stage was as high as four shots, but a couple of bogeys down the stretch ensured he still has plenty of work to do on Sunday. He did, however, extend his overnight advantage by one shot, birdying the last to move to 12-under.

Jamie Donaldson of Wales and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark are Rose's closest rivals - as they were at the end of the second round - on ten-under. Both men carded 69s to position themselves within two strokes of the pace-setter.

Olesen was the more impressive of the pair, staying flawless for three birdies to show strong control over his game. Donaldson will need to improve his accuracy off the tee if he is to challenge for the end-of-week honours.

Perhaps the man to watch for Rose, however, is Thongchai Jaidee, who fired a six-under 66 to move within three of the leader. Jaidee required 24 swings of the putter in a fine round that propelled him into contention.

Richie Ramsey and David Howell will also consider themselves part of the chasing party, having moved to eight-under with scores of 67 and 68 respectively.

Elsewhere, Martin Kaymer disappointed with a two-under 70 that left him six shots off the pace, while Peter Hanson is a stroke further back. Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington are level at two-under, while Ernie Els is back at level-par.

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