Golf: Theegala climbs to tied-32nd spot at Sony Open; McIlroy lies fifth in Dubai Invitational

Honolulu, Jan 18 (IANS) Sahith Theegala continued his steady progress at the Sony Open in Hawaii, firing a composed 3-under 67 on Saturday to rise to Tied-32nd after 54 holes. The Indian-American, who opened the week with rounds of 73 and 66, produced five birdies against two bogeys at Waialae Country Club to reach 4-under overall—an improvement of 27 spots from T-59 at the halfway mark.

Sharing Tied-32nd at 4-under is Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju, who carded a 2-over 72 in tougher afternoon conditions. The Sony Open debutant mixed two birdies with four bogeys but remains well-positioned for a strong finish in his maiden PGA TOUR start of the season.

Indo-British Aaron Rai slipped down the board after a 69 and sits at 2-under for the week, currently in 50th place.

At the top of the leaderboard, Davis Riley closed with four birdies in his final seven holes for a 3-under 67, giving him a two-shot advantage at 12-under heading into the final round. Harry Hall (66), Chris Gotterup (68), and Kevin Roy (69) share second at 10-under, while defending champion Nick Taylor is among those three shots back after a 70.

Former champion Hideki Matsuyama (65) and Jordan Spieth (68) are part of a group at 6-under, and 62-year-old Hall of Famer Vijay Singh impressed again with a 68 to reach 4-under.

With more gusty conditions forecast for Sunday, the Sony Open is poised for an exciting finish on the Hawaiian coast.

McIlroy lies fifth in the Dubai Invitational, Elvira leads

Nacho Elvira took a two-shot advantage as he stayed steady in breezy conditions on the third day of the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.

The Spaniard shared the overnight second-round lead with Shane Lowry at five under, and he negotiated an early bogey with four birdies to card a steady 68 on Moving Day at Dubai Creek Resort.

Elvira is seeking his third tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale and the 2024 Soudal Open.

At eight under, he leads by two from a stellar chasing pack at seven under, with Dylan Frittelli sharing second place after a sparkling 66 alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage.

Rory McIlroy (68) was Tied-fifth at 5-under total for 54 holes. McIlroy opened with a birdie before dropping a shot at the fourth on a steady front nine, but gains at the tenth, 13th, and 16th took him into contention.

Frittelli was bogey-free in his 66 thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the third before further gains at the 11th and last.

Armitage rolled in a birdie effort from 21 feet at the 18th to climb alongside Frittelli at six under.

--IANS

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