Shane Lowry shot a one-under-par round of 70 to sit in a tie for second at the Dubai Invitational, two shots behind leader Nacho Elvira after round three.
Lowry, bidding for his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, was tied for the lead with Elvira going into the penultimate round but dropped two shots in his first six holes before birdies on seven and nine.
The Offaly man picked up just one shot on the back nine, at 17, and lipped out for birdie on the last, settling for a par.
Lowry dropped two shots with bogeys at the third and sixth, but he was able to respond with three birdies across the last 12 holes in a one-under 70 to keep his hopes alive.
Rory McIlroy (above) is one shot further back following a round of 68, three under par, that included one bogey and four birdies.
The Masters champion carded five bogeys to sign for an underwhelming three-over 74 on Friday.
The Holywood golfer started his penultimate round with a birdie at the par-four opener only to stumble to a bogey six at the fourth.
However, he fought back with three birdies on the back nine to keep himself in title contention.
McIlroy holds an impressive record in his opening tournament of the year, winning once, finishing runner-up on six occasions, and collecting 15 top-five finishes in all.
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He said: "I would say the key to that is the opportunity to work on some things when you have a little bit of time off over the Christmas period, and then the enthusiasm to start a new year and start fresh.
"I have always loved coming out here to the Middle East and to Dubai and playing in these tournaments, even as an amateur.
"I have been coming here for over 20 years and it’s a place I’m comfortable in."
A dropped shot at the seventh dented Marcus Armitage's bid but he landed four birdies on the back nine to ensure he is only two behind.
Dylan Frittelli impressed with five birdies in a bogey-free round to put himself in the mix. But it is Elvira – who carded four birdies and a sole bogey – holding the advantage heading into the final 18 holes.
Elsewhere, England’s Matt Wallace (69) is five shots off the pace, while compatriot Tommy Fleetwood – despite an impressive third round of 66 – is eight behind after he surrendered his chance of retaining his title with a 78 on Friday.
"Golf is hard and every now and again it is very humbling towards you and yesterday was one of those days," said Fleetwood.
"I scored the absolute worst I could and everything I could do wrong I did do wrong. That was really disappointing. So I’m just happy to have played well today."
