England’s Tommy Fleetwood just two shots off leader Harold Varner heading into the final round at the Saudi International as he seeks to end two-year wait for a victory
- Tommy Fleetwood recovered from an opening bogey to move to 10 under
- Leader Harold Varner finished on 12 under, while Adri Arnaus is a stroke back
- Golf is now taking centre stage in Jeddah following a week of tawdry headlines
At the end of a dispiriting week in Saudi Arabia, Tommy Fleetwood has the chance on Sunday to complete a feelgood tale and shift the emphasis back on the glory of the game, rather than the greed.
It was in the Middle East where Fleetwood launched his career with a victory in Abu Dhabi in 2017. Now, at the Saudi International in Jeddah, he has the opportunity to relaunch it after two years without a win.
Fleetwood will no doubt hope to learn from last week in Dubai, when a similar position was spurned as he laboured to a final-round 75. This time he will begin just two strokes off the lead held by the American, Harold Varner, after a skilful 67 composed in windy conditions.
Tommy Fleetwood recovered from an opening bogey to card a 67 and move to 10 under
‘It was hard all day, a lot of scrapping, and I’m pleased with the way I held it together,’ said the Englishman. ‘It’s been a good three days so far and if I can deliver one more, I’ll definitely have a chance.’
The golf is now taking centre stage following a week which was filled with tawdry headlines and clandestine meetings, as the Saudis offered silly amounts of dollars in a bid to lure enough players to launch their global Super League.
‘We’ll be open and transparent,’ claimed Greg Norman, the Saudi Golf chief executive, at just about the same time the players were asked to sign non- disclosure agreements. Very open and transparent.
Leader Harold Varner carded 68 to finish on 12 under, while Adri Arnaus is a stroke back
Then player rounded on player, following Phil Mickelson’s extraordinary rant, claiming he was talking to the Saudis because of the ‘obnoxious greed’ of the PGA Tour. ‘Don’t know if greed is the right word,’ Brooks Koepka tweeted, mischievously.
At Jeddah, Spaniard Adri Arnaus is between Varner and Fleetwood, while Cam Smith is only four back with defending champion Dustin Johnson lurking dangerously at five adrift.
On the DP World Tour, also in the Middle East, Dane Nicolai Hojgaard holds a three-stroke lead over Scot David Law in the Ras al Khaimah Championship.
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