Rory McIlroy inched closer to a seventh Race to Dubai crown on Saturday, breaking through a logjam at the top of the DP World Tour Championship leaderboard with a flurry of late birdies.

The defending champion, aiming to claim the Race to Dubai title for a fourth consecutive year, finished tied at 13 under par alongside Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Both players carded rounds of 68.

Six players, including Rasmus Hojgaard, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Matt Fitzpatrick, shared third place at 12 under, while Ludvig Aberg, Justin Rose, and Nicolai Hojgaard were tied for ninth at 11 under.

With Marco Penge nine shots adrift in tied 36th, Tyrrell Hatton remains the only player who could deny McIlroy Europe’s top ranking for the year. For that to happen, Hatton must win on Sunday and hope McIlroy finishes lower than eighth.

McIlroy surged to the top with three birdies over the last five holes, overcoming early struggles with his putting.

“The last two days felt like battles, but to shoot two scores in the 60s is nice,” McIlroy said.
“I gave myself plenty of chances, but the putter wasn’t really cooperating. Everyone’s struggling a bit on the greens this week—they’re tricky to read and get a bit crusty by the end of the day. I stayed patient, knew there were chances on the way in—the two par fives and the short par-4 15th—and I took advantage. One last push tomorrow to end the season the way it deserves.”

Neergaard-Petersen, who played in the lead group with fellow Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, overcame an opening-hole bogey to record five birdies and stay tied with McIlroy.

“Super pleased with that round. I managed to stay patient and hit a lot of good shots despite a slow start,” said the 26-year-old.
“I’m excited to play with Rory tomorrow. I haven’t played with him before, and to do it in the final group on a Sunday will be pretty special.”

Hatton, meanwhile, made seven birdies in a 67 to remain in contention. “Today’s round has given me a chance. I’ll try to put together another good round tomorrow and see what happens,” he said.

The DP World Tour Championship, the richest event on the European circuit with a $10 million purse, also features a $6 million bonus pool for the top 10 players at season’s end. If McIlroy wins both, his total prize would reach $5 million.