DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy put on an exciting performance at the DP World Tour Championship, achieving three birdies in the last five holes for a 68 (-4), which secured him sharing the lead with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen from Denmark. McIlroy seeks his fourth consecutive title in the Race to Dubai. The competition at Jumeirah Golf Estates was intense, with up to eight players tied at the top at one point.
At the end of the third round, McIlroy and Neergaard-Peterson (68) were at 13 under par (203), with a one-stroke lead over Tyrrell Hatton and five other competitors.
Hatton is the only player with mathematical chances of surpassing McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, although he would need the Masters champion to have an unfavorable performance at the Earth course, where McIlroy is the defending champion and already has three titles.McIlroy comes to this competition after a tie for third place in Abu Dhabi last week, which strengthened his position. Marco Penge from England, second in the Race to Dubai, had a less favorable start with a 74 and has stayed on the sidelines since then. Although he achieved a 68 on Saturday, he is nine strokes away. Hatton becomes the main contender, thanks to his round of 67, which puts him in the chasing group. For Hatton to be crowned champion, he would need to win and for McIlroy to finish outside the top eight, although, given the number of players close in the standings, it is not an outlandish possibility.It would be an incredible way to close the season.
Rory McIlroy
Neergaard-Petersen also has a lot at stake. With a clean card after an initial bogey, he managed a 68, securing a place in the final group of the season and his first time playing with McIlroy. A good result could mean a top 10 finish for the Dane, which would earn him a PGA Tour card in 2026.Today’s round has given me an opportunity.
Tyrrell Hatton
In the group following one stroke behind are Rasmus Højgaard (65), Matt Fitzpatrick (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68), Laurie Canter (68) and Angel Ayora from Spain, who closed with a bogey for a 67. Nicolai Højgaard, with a 73, and Justin Rose (70) and Ludvig Åberg (67) are only two strokes away. This sets the stage for an unpredictable finish to the European circuit season, with McIlroy seeking his seventh title as Europe’s number one, approaching Colin Montgomerie’s record. This has already been an exceptional year for McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam at Augusta National, won The Players Championship and Pebble Beach, took the Irish Open and led Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup.My big goal this year has been to see if I could win here, and obviously, if I were to achieve it tomorrow, it would be incredible.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
I certainly could have enjoyed these last few weeks. But the Race to Dubai is important to me, and it’s important for me to try to get closer to Monty. As I said, I’ve put myself in a great position to do that tomorrow.
Rory McIlroy
