Rory McIlroy improves while Tyrrell Hatton slides in Las Vegas

McIlroy was 12 shots off the pace after opening with rounds of 73-69, but fired a superb six-under 66 on Saturday to move to eight-under for the tournament.

He went into Sunday seven shots behind Russell Henley, who on 15-under led by three strokes ahead of a quartet of fellow Americans including second-round leader Xander Schauffele.

Hatton, by contrast, was three shots off the lead in second place on Friday night but followed rounds of 65-68 with a one-over 73.

The 29-year-old Hatton endured a consistent but frustrating day, with eight pars on the front nine against one bogey, before cancelling out a bogey five at the 14th with a birdie four on the last after hitting his second shot to within eight feet.

McIlroy powered home to rise within reach of the lead. He took birdies on the par-four third and sixth holes, dropped a shot on the long seventh, but then made six birdies against just one bogey in playing his back nine in five-under, including birdying his last three holes.

Henley was an unspectacular model of consistency in building his lead, with two front nine birdied and three more to kick off his back nine, in his bogey-free round.

England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, shot an even-par 72 to be seven-under.

Prominent among other British players were Ian Poulter, who shot 73 to be four-under and 11 off the lead, and Justin Rose, whose 68 had him at two-under.

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