After a Saturday fade, Rory McIlroy faces big fight in bid for record-tying Race title
· Yahoo Sports
The Race to Dubai has truly become a compelling race to the finish.
With World No. 2 Rory McIlroy stumbling on Saturday in Dubai with a 72 in the DP World Tour Championship, the Ulsterman now faces a final-day showdown for both the tournament title and season points with Eugenio Chacarra.
Visit sportnewz.click for more information.
McIlroy, who is going for a record-tying eighth DPWT season title and a fourth Tour Championship crown, is projected to need at least a solo fourth-place result while finishing ahead of Chacarra, with whom he's tied after the 26-year-old Spaniard shot 68. The latter went into the week at No. 1 in the standings and led McIlroy by nearly 534 points, and there is around a 700-point difference between first, second and third place in the finale. The increments get smaller after that.
McIlroy went into the third round tied for the lead with LIV Golf alum Tyrell Hatton, but he fell into a four-way tie for second by suffering four bogeys to go with an eagle and three birdies at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. Hatton shot 68 and is the solo leader at nine under, one shot ahead of Victor Perez (67), three in front of Mikal Lindberg (69), and four up on McIlroy, Chacarra, Adam Scott (67) and Francesco Laporta (68).
Chacarra, who will play one group behind McIlroy on Sunday, has had a terrific season, with three wins. He scored back-to-back victories in June and captured the India Championship last month, and he’s risen to 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
"I just want to win the tournament—I'm not far away,” Chacarra said on Saturday. “I know if I win the tournament, I win the ranking, so that's what I wanted to do in Abu Dhabi and I want to do it here.
"I think all of my goals have been done this season, so I'm just playing free. Not a lot of people can enjoy this moment and have a chance to win the Race to Dubai. So I'm going to have a chance tomorrow, and I'm going to go try and enjoy it as much as possible."
Hatton is seeking his ninth DPWT victory and first since he won the Rolex Series’ Dubai Desert Classic in January 2025. The 35-year-old Englishman created controversy during Friday’s second round when he slammed his putter several times into the ground after missing a putt.
He’s come close twice to winning the DPWT Tour Championship.
“I've been close here a couple of times, had some heartbreak on 18,” Hatton said. “I think it's always an exciting finish for the Race to Dubai. It seems like every Sunday at this championship, something can happen.
“I'd love to just go out there tomorrow and play a great round of golf. But it's going to be a tough day tomorrow. I would love to finish the season with a win and I'll try my best to do that.”