Lee Westwood continued to hold Rory McIlroy at bay early in the third round of the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World today - thanks to some more brilliant putting.
After taking a two-stroke overnight lead with a 20 foot closing birdie effort, Westwood saved par on the first from almost as far and then rolled in a curling 30 footer only three holes later.
The World Number Five was ten under par as a result, but after missing a five foot birdie opportunity on the opening green McIlroy cut the gap to one by making birdies at the long par five second and 407 yard par four fifth.
The two stablemates are first and second on The European Tour Order of Merit, but although McIlroy is the one with a lead of more than €128,000, a Westwood victory tomorrow would earn him €830,675 from the tournament and almost €1million more for topping the money list.
It looks to have come down to the two of them with German Martin Kaymer only four under with five holes of his round to play and Ross Fisher two further back after a 70.
Westwood was caught at the top of the leaderboard - not that he knew because caddie Billy Foster has banned him from looking while out on the Earth course this week - when Camilo Villegas birdied the first two holes.
But the Colombian bogeyed the short fourth and McIlroy was alone in second place.
Joint third were Villegas, Padraig Harrington, England's Ross McGowan and Swede Alexander Noren.
McIlroy was in danger of dropping a stroke on the 572 yard seventh - the hole he eagled yesterday - when he mishit his second and then ran over the green down a slope with his pitch.
But he chipped back to six feet, made it for par and then made a 15 footer on the next to join Westwood on ten under par.
McGowan was also on the same mark after getting up and down from a greenside bunker for a birdie on the seventh.
