Spieth relieved to beat the buzzer and complete third round

World number one Jordan Spieth was relieved to be able to finish his third round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on another day delayed by fog.

Both Friday and Saturday saw players take to the course early to complete their previous rounds, but Spieth will not be faced by that problem on Sunday as he was one of a handful to finish the 54th hole at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

It was a close call, with Spieth teeing off just as the horn sounded – the signal for players to finish the hole they are on.

After a disappointing 73 in his second round, Spieth recorded a four-under 68 on Saturday and sits tied for 15th on seven-under – three shots off a five-way tie for the lead.

When asked how pleased he was to finish, Spieth said: “Yes very, we were on about number six when the shadows were pretty long and we weren’t sure if we were going to make it.

“We got up there and didn’t really know if there were any rules around us with who tees first and I was first to tee off.

“And when I struck my shot the horn blew. It was at the buzzer. So we were all very, very relieved to have that happen. It saved us about five plus hours in arriving to the course tomorrow.”

Spieth conceded he has not been at his best during this event, but remains optimistic he can challenge those in the leading quintet, which includes Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter.

“I started out this tournament not driving the ball particularly well the first 12 or 13 holes and since then my driver’s been on,” he said. “And that’s really given me chances.

“So it can all come together tomorrow. It’s happened many times in random rounds. Why not fourth round here? Each day should be a little easier to get adjusted to the times.”