Reed stays out in front on Day 3 of the Dubai Desert Classic

Dubai: American Patrick Reed turned a one-shot overnight lead into a four-stroke cushion.

Reed produced one of his best rounds of the week on Moving Day at Emirates Golf Club, carding a five under par to extend his lead and put himself firmly in control heading into the final round.

Although he dropped a stroke on the first hole, Reed quickly regrouped with several strong scoring opportunities, including seven birdies against two bogeys, finishing at 14 under par overall, he opened up a four-shot cushion over the rest of the field.

"I felt a little nervous on that first tee and messed up at that hole but after that got into the mode of trying to hit quality golf shots and take every shot on," Reed said.

"The biggest thing for me now is to get a win at a place I absolutely love coming to. Hopefully I can play some solid golf and close it out."

Despite starting the day just seven shots behind overnight leader Patrick Reed and talking up the possibility of mounting a charge, McIlroy was unable to make significant inroads on the leaderboard.

He played a steady but unspectacular round, making mostly pars and a few bogeys, and ultimately finished the day well back of the lead, leaving his hopes of a fifth Desert Classic title in serious doubt.

Tommy Fleetwood continued a tough week in Dubai on Day 3, shooting an even par, which left him at +2 overall for the tournament after three rounds, well outside the top contenders and well over par relative to the leaders.

While he showed flashes of quality golf, the Englishman wasn’t able to put together enough low-scoring holes to move up the leaderboard on Saturday.

Viktor Hovland produced one of the most eye-catching performances on day 3, firing a bogey-free 7 under par, which was among the lowest rounds of the day.

The Norwegian kept everything in play by hitting a high percentage of fairways and consistently setting up good looks at birdie putts, especially on the back nine where he made several key gains. His score moved him up the leaderboard into serious contention, sitting tied for a spot just a few strokes off the lead as the tournament heads into its final round.