Jimenez holds on to narrow advantage

Miguel Angel Jimenez avoided the mistakes that slowed Ernie Els, posting a tidy 4-under 68 on Saturday for a one-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Els still was in great shape to win for the first time this year, despite a rugged start to his round. He took four putts from 20 feet to make double bogey on the opening hole, then recovered with seven birdies for a 67 that left him only one shot behind going into the final round.

``I still don't know what I did there on the first hole,'' Els said. ``I guess you are never too old to learn. You have got to respect the old game. I did try on each of those putts. The only reason I can think of is that the practice green was a bit too fast than the ones out there.''

Jimenez was at 16-under 200 and will be paired with Els on Sunday.

Colin Montgomerie, desperate for a victory that would ensure him another trip to Augusta National, had a 6-under 66 and four birdie putts on the final holes that narrowly missed. Still, he was only three shots behind, alone in third.

Montgomerie, No. 63 in the world ranking, needs to get into the top 50 by the end of the month to avoid missing out on the Masters.

``Those were four glorious chances, and not one went in,'' Montgomerie said of his finish. ``Two hit the lip and two were dead on line. That's golf, I suppose. But I can't feel bad about 66. I hit the ball solid, as I have been doing ever since the Target World Challenge before Christmas last year.''

Jimenez had two birdies on front and back nine, including one on the 18th to keep him in the lead.

``What happened to Ernie on the first hole can happen to anyone,'' Jimenez said. ``I just concentrated on my game and am very happy with the way I played. I would have been happier if I could have converted some of the birdie chances I had coming in.''

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page