England’s Tyrrell Hatton was spoken to by officials after his third round at the Dubai Desert Classic for smashing a tee marker in frustration on the seventh hole.
The three-time Ryder Cup player went on to bogey the eighth and ninth but recovered his composure on the back nine to card a four-under-par 68 for a 12-under total – one off the lead held by New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.
Hatton said it had been a frustrating day at Emirates Golf Club.
“Yes, I probably shouldn’t have done it,” he told BBC Sport. “Does it make me a bad person? No. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It happened. I can’t go back and change it so just move on.
“I am happy with how I played the back nine with and I could easily have been a few shots better with the putts that I missed. But I am in a good position going into the final round.
“Tomorrow is another round of golf and I should have enough experience to just go out and play. I am in a great position to give myself a chance of winning the tournament.
“Hopefully I can be more patient when I need to be.”
