Stenson blazes way to Abu Dhabi lead

Ryder Cup stars Chris DiMarco and Miguel Angel Jimenez produced two outstanding rounds of golf, but neither had an answer to the brilliance of Henrik Stenson at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship today.

The Swede shot a course-record 62 to leave himself the 16-under-par overnight leader, with a round which included a devastating run of five straight birdies at the start, and was gilded by a pair of sublime eagles.

American DiMarco and Spaniard Jimenez lie one and two shots back respectively, after birdie-laden rounds. DiMarco, in particular, showed why the promoters were eager to have him leave the US PGA Tour for a weekend when he eagled the 10th and followed it up with five birdies in six holes. Jimenez was more consistent, not dropping a shot and recording eight birdies in his round.

Given the ferocious pace of the leading trio it would be easy to overlook the rounds of Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia, who both briefly held the course record until Stenson blitzed it.

The Scot had set himself a target of shooting a 66 to get back into contention for victory and bettered it with a 65, matching the score of Garcia, the Spanish world number six.

Meath professional Damien McGrane finds himself in a tie for 13th on six under after a solid, if unspectacular, third round 71.

After two days when the big guns were lost in the pack, their games dulled by the leveller of gusting winds, almost all of them were able to turn it on in the far calmer conditions. But the easier weather did not harm Friday's overnight leader, Charl Schwartzel, who is still in the hunt at 13 under, although the South African will rue dropped shots at the fifth and the ninth.

Also at 13 under is Argentinian Ricardo Gonzalez, who started the day at eight under, dropped back to seven under at the first, but then complied an otherwise tidy round that featured six birdies.

Fijian world number two Vijay Singh, looked well placed at the start of his round to make headway but his putting let him down and his five birdies were offset by two bogeys, and he finds himself seven adrift of Stenson. On other days, his mistakes would perhaps not have been punished, but it was a day when others made hay while the wind did not blow.