McIlroy Holds Joint Top Spot While Nears DP World Tour Title
The Northern Irish golfer recorded five birdies during his third round
Season Finale Saturday Leaderboard
-13 R McIlroy (Northern Ireland), R Neergaard-Petersen (Den); -12 A Ayora (Spa), L Canter (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), T Fleetwood (England), T Hatton (Eng), R Hojgaard (Denmark)
Notable scores: -11 L Aberg (Swe), N Hojgaard (Den), J Rose (Eng); -10 S Lowry (Ire), R MacIntyre (Sco); -8 J Parry (England); -4 M Penge (England)
The world-class golfer secured three birdies in the final five holes to claim the joint lead at the DP World Tour Championship and close in on his seventh year-end Race to Dubai crown.
McIlroy carded a 68 in Dubai, in a performance featuring five birdies with one bogey to move to 13 under, along with Danish golfer Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
England's Canter (68), Matt Fitzpatrick (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68) along with Tyrrell Hatton (67) sit at 12-under-par, along with Spain's Angel Ayora (67) and Danish competitor Rasmus Hojgaard (65).
"All in all, a challenging round," commented McIlroy. "The conditions proved difficult but happy with shooting the score that I did."
The 36-year-old holds a 767-point lead at the top of the season-long rankings as he pursues his fourth straight Race to Dubai title.
Tyrrell Hatton and compatriot Marco Penge are the only two capable of preventing McIlroy from winning the season-long title.
Hatton must win the tournament while requiring McIlroy to finish outside the top eight to win it.
"My position is stronger than him [Hatton]," added McIlroy. "I'm focused on myself. If I go out and perform at the level I can achieve, particularly on this golf course, I'm confident that I'll succeed.
"It would be a fantastic manner to conclude the year."
Marco Penge carded a better 68 on Saturday after scores of 74 and 70, but looks unlikely to challenge at four-under-par.
