Rory McIlroy is in a three-way tie for the lead with Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard and Frenchman Antoine Rozner going into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Northern Ireland’s four-time major champion carded a four-under-par 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to put himself in with a chance of winning the European Tour’s season-ending tournament for a third time.
The 35-year-old is already well set to finish top of the Race to Dubai rankings and become the tour’s champion golfer for a sixth time.
“My goal is to be on that 18th green with a chance to win two trophies instead of one,” McIlroy told Sky Sports after narrowly missing a birdie chance at the last to claim the outright lead.
The world number three has won two tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, and claimed the Dubai Desert Classic in January on the DP World Tour.
But he was unable to add to his tally of major championships, suffering his biggest disappointment at the US Open, where he finished runner-up to American Bryson DeChambeau.
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“Tomorrow is going to be my last competitive round of the year so it would be an amazing way to finish off the year,” added McIlroy. “A year of a lot of close calls along with a lot of really good golf and some wins along the way.
“It is an opportunity to end the year on a really good note and I am going to go out there and try to get it done.”
Hojgaard made the early running with six birdies in his opening eight holes before ending his round with 10 successive pars for a six-under-par 66.
McIlroy also carded six birdies, but bogeys at the fourth and 10th holes checked his progress. Rozner rolled in an eagle putt at the par-five 18th to finish on two under for the day and move back alongside the leaders after starting the round with a one-shot advantage.
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson are two shots back on 10 under par, while England’s Tyrrell Hatton remains in the mix on nine under following his 71.
The 33-year-old started one shot off the lead but lost ground with a bogey at the fourth. He picked up shots at the fifth and par-five 14th, where he snapped a club in anger after missing the green with his approach before chipping in for a birdie.
