Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton share the lead at the halfway mark of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. McIlroy carded a two-under 70 to join England’s Hatton at the top of the leaderboard at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The Race for the Lead
McIlroy is chasing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title this week and sits on five-under-par alongside Hatton. The Northern Irishman followed his opening 69 with an up-and-down round, while Hatton carded a 69 after mixing five birdies and two bogeys. Overnight leader Joost Luiten shot a 73 to sit one shot back at four-under alongside Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan.
McIlroy leads Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra by four shots. The Spaniard birdied his final two holes to finish one-under.
Reflecting on the conditions, McIlroy told BBC Sport that the scoring has been eye-opening during the first two days. He noted that the course setup has made scoring tougher than in previous years, requiring players to reframe what constitutes a good score.
McIlroy started strong with four birdies in his opening 10 holes, but his momentum slowed with bogeys at the 12th, 16th, and 17th holes. He recovered by making a closing birdie for the second consecutive day, securing his place in Saturday’s final pairing alongside Ryder Cup teammate Hatton.
Chattanooga and Contenders
Hatton is hunting his ninth DP World Tour victory and his first since leaving LIV Golf. The world number 23 played a bogey-free front nine before dropping a shot at the 10th, later adding birdies at the 15th and a closing birdie on the 18th hole following a greenside bunker stumble at the 17th.
Hatton told BBC Sport that the back nine played difficult with the shifting wind making club selection challenging. South Africa’s Jayden Schaper and Spain’s Jon Rahm sit two strokes back at two-under-par, while American Patrick Reed struggled with a 77 following his opening 75.
Live text updates of the tournament’s final round will be available on the BBC Sport website and app on Sunday.
