Rory McIlroy rallied from a late stumble to post a second-round 70 on Friday at the DP World Tour Championship, joining Tyrrell Hatton at five under par atop the leaderboard at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
McIlroy briefly held the outright lead after going four under through his first 11 holes, according to Sky Sports, before a flurry of bogeys on his back nine dropped him down the standings. He recovered by making a birdie on the 18th hole to secure a share of the 36-hole lead in Dubai.
Hatton opened his round with consecutive birdies on his first two holes and added three more alongside two bogeys to card a three-under 69. The English golfer will tee up alongside McIlroy in Saturday’s final pairing.
Overnight leader Joost Luiten dropped back-to-back bogeys on holes 14 and 15, finishing one over for the day. Luiten sits tied for third at four under par alongside Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan, according to BBC.
Race to Dubai standings and chasing contenders
McIlroy’s performance moves him to the top of the projected Race to Dubai rankings as he pursues a record-equalling eighth Order of Merit title, which would match Colin Montgomerie’s career haul.
Race to Dubai Rankings leader Eugenio Chacarra battled to stay within touching distance of the leaders, mixing six birdies with five bogeys to go one over through 16 holes before chipping in from off the green on the 18th for a round of 71.
Chacarra holds a 533.93-point lead over McIlroy entering the finale, where 2,000 points are available to the winner, RTE.ie reported. The Spanish leader sits four shots behind the co-leaders heading into the weekend.
“I want to win the tournament,” McIlroy said. “And if I win the tournament, that’s all I can do. It doesn’t really matter what any of the other guys do, if they play well enough.”
Patrick Reed endured a difficult second round, posting a five-over 77 after going six over across his final six holes. Meanwhile, Jon Rahm struggled with course bunkers throughout his round, taking two shots out of a fairway bunker on the seventh hole before hitting a wedge shot into the bank of another bunker on the eighth.
“I was making good swings, I just couldn’t quite hit it close enough to have makeable putts,” Rahm said.
Challenging course conditions at Jumeirah Golf Estates
Players faced difficult scoring conditions on the Earth Course, with late bogeys affecting multiple contenders. Mikael Lindberg briefly shared the lead on Friday before dropping two shots late in his round to finish at three under par alongside Freddy Schott and Victor Perez.
McIlroy described the course setup as exceptionally demanding after his up-and-down round. “Once you start putting yourself out of position on this golf course, this setup, these conditions, it starts to get very difficult,” McIlroy said.
“I think it’s been a bit eye-opening to see the scoring the first two days,” McIlroy told BBC. “I don’t think the wind is supposed to be as up over the weekend, so the scoring might be a little bit better.”
What is the prize fund?
What is the prize fund for the DP World Tour Championship?
The 50-player field is competing for a $10 million purse, with the tournament winner earning $3 million, Golf Digest reported. An additional $6 million bonus pool will be distributed to the top 10 players in the final Race to Dubai standings.
How many Race to Dubai titles has Rory McIlroy won?
McIlroy has won seven Race to Dubai and Order of Merit crowns during his career. Victory this week would earn him an eighth title, equalling Colin Montgomerie’s historical record.
Where is the DP World Tour Championship being played?
The season-ending tournament is being hosted at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Live coverage of the weekend rounds continues on Sky Sports Golf.
Golf Tournament Details
Live coverage of the DP World Tour Championship continues Saturday from 7 am on Sky Sports Golf, as McIlroy and Hatton lead the field into the third round.
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