RORY MCILROY knows all about Tiger Woods's famous stinger but the the super-talented 17-year-old was unprepared for a surprise attack by an unidentified flying critter that cost him two shots in the Dubai Desert Classic.

The Holywood amateur was three under par for his round when he raced a 20 footer for a possible birdie hat-trick four feet past the hole at the 17th and ended up four-putting.

As he walked to his second putt, the reigning Irish Close and European Amateur champion was stung on the back of the neck by what may have been a yellowjacket wasp.

The bloody wound disconcerted him so much he winged his par-putt three feet past and then missed again to run up his first double bogey of the tournament.

A lesser mortal could have been forgiven for blowing his top and running up another big number on the par-five 18th. But McIlroy is wise beyond his years and he duly parred the last to card his third sub-par round on the trot, a one under par 71, that left him 10 shots off the pace set by Ernie Els on seven under par.

Having played beautifully for most of the day, McIlroy was bitterly disappointed with his late lapse in concentration after a round that featured five birdies, two bogeys and that unfortunate six.

But his mental fortitude and classy all-round game seriously impressed his playing partner Niclas Fasth, who showed him how clinical a top pro can be as he surged to within four shots of Els on 13 under par, thanks to a superb 65.

"I hit a pretty good putt, just a bit past the hole and I was walking up to my second putt and got bitten on the back of the neck, " said McIlroy, who wants to finish the tournament on a high with a sub 70 score today.

"I put my hand there and there was blood and I was thinking I needed to get a towel and lost a bit of focus.

It was stinging me quite a bit and I missed the next one and the one after that but apart from that I played pretty good.

"It's very disappointing but I still shot a score under par.

It should have been a lot better but I left a lot out there."

The plus five handicapper resumed the day on seven under par with five holes of the rain-delayed second round still to complete.

He bogeyed his 17th hole, the eighth, to post a 69 and share 19th place on six under par but was soon cruising again in the company of Fasth and Welsh journeyman Garry Houston when he birdied the short, par four second and par-five third to get to eight under par.

The Ulster tyro had hit every green in regulation until he over-cut his five-iron tee shot at the par-three seventh - short siding himself in the deep rough from where he failed to save par.

Another shot went at the eighth, the toughest hole on the course, but he composed himself again to save par from 10 feet at the ninth and then pick up birdies at the 10th, 15th and 16th before that sting in the tail.

Reflecting on his overall performance, McIlroy said, "I am up there and I am doing pretty well and I have proved to myself that I can play out here, which is nice.

"Niclas just didn't really make any mistakes, did he?

We hit it pretty similar but he just holed a lot of really good putts when he needed to."

Fasth's caddie, Ulsterman Dave McNeilly, reckons McIlroy "has all the shots" and is ready to "mix it with the big boys" already.

"He was great, " Fasth added. "We played together in the pro am and I have done two rounds with him now and he's doing very well. He has a very strong game, which you pretty much expect of a young hotshot coming out here but he also handles himself very well.

"He even had a four-putt, that hurts for anybody but a 17-year-old, he could have been on fire there but he handled that well and got on with things.

"I'm sure he's got a very, very bright future ahead of him. I liked what I saw after 17. It would have been totally understandable if he was pissed off and everything. He will learn so much more getting on with things and I told him so as well."

Els recovered from a three-putt at the first to card a 68 while 27-year-old Wentworth pro Ross Fisher stood up to the pressure of the final group with a 71 that left him tied for second with India's Jyoti Randhawa (67) and Dubai resident Henrik Stenson (67).

All eyes will be on world number one Woods today as he battles to find his putting touch on grainy Dubai greens and close a three-shot gap on Els.

"I saw the dots [pin positions] for tomorrow and they are pretty accessible, " Woods said ominously. "The thing is, when you are chasing, you can't afford to make mistakes. Somebody is going to make a run at it and make some birdies."