DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Lee Westwood maintained his two-shot lead at the Dubai World Championships after shooting a 6-under 66 Saturday in the third round.

The Englishman made six birdies to take his total to 15-under 201. England’s Ross McGowan was second after a 66.

Westwood opened up a five-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, his only remaining rival for the Race to Dubai. Should he win both titles, Westwood will receive $2.75 million and become Europe’s No. 1 player for the first time since 2000.

The 20-year-old McIlroy had led the European Money List going into the tournament but fell five shots behind after a 69. He is seeking to become the youngest player since Seve Ballesteros to in 1979 to be the No. 1 European player.

Westwood believes his confidence will be high going into the fourth round.

“I looked at the names on the leaderboard,” he said, “and I have won 30 tournaments in my career and no one else has closed out as many tournaments as I have. The Race to Dubai situation is very tense, but I have won it before so I know how to deal with the pressure.”

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Rain delays LPGA Tour Championship in Texas

RICHMOND, Texas — Persistent rain and wet conditions forced a later start of the LPGA Tour Championship on Saturday, raising the possibility that the season-ending tournament will be shorted to 54 holes or not completed until early next week.

The continuation of the second round of play at The Houstonian Country Club was bumped back to Saturday afternoon.

Rain delayed play for 6 hours on Friday. Leader Lorena Ochoa, who shot 6-under 66 on Thursday, didn’t play at all Friday. Sophie Gustafson was two shots back.


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