Rory McIlroy steadied himself after a rough patch on the back nine to sink a decisive birdie putt at the 18th hole and share the 36-hole lead at the World Tour Championship in Dubai. His 2-under 70 on Friday left him tied at 5-under par for the tournament alongside Tyrrell Hatton, who shot a 69, positioning both players well for the weekend at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
McIlroy started strong, birdieing four of his first 10 holes without a blemish. But the course, exposed to a stiff breeze with thick rough and dry, slippery greens, challenged him from the 12th hole onwards. He dropped three bogeys in six holes, losing momentum amid what he described as frustrating conditions on the Earth course, which he said is playing as tough as ever in his 17th appearance here. Still, he managed to recover, reaching the green in two at the par-5 last hole and confidently rolling in a 6-foot birdie putt. “Once you do start putting yourself out of position on this golf course, this set-up, these conditions, it starts to get very, very difficult,” McIlroy said after his round. “I feel like I salvaged the day a bit with that birdie.”
Hatton’s steady 69 kept him neck and neck with McIlroy, both sitting on 5-under for the week. Meanwhile, Eugenio Chacarra, the rookie Spaniard still in contention for the Race to Dubai title, finished his second round with a birdie-birdie sequence, including a chip-in from just off the green at the 18th. Chacarra shot 71 and trails the leaders by four shots. He pumped his fists in celebration and told reporters, “I like how I’m hitting it. If I can clean up the card a little, I like my chance on the weekend.”
Chacarra currently leads the Race to Dubai standings by nearly 534 points over McIlroy. The season finale offers 2,000 points for the winner, 1,335 for second place, and 752 for third, making this week critical for settling the year-long competition that crowns the European Tour’s No. 1 player.
Patrick Reed, who sits third in the standings, looks unlikely to catch up after a second-round 77 that included a back-nine 42 left him 8 over for the tournament. Jon Rahm, who won in Abu Dhabi last week, remains just about in contention but faces a steep challenge. He needs to win here while McIlroy and Chacarra finish far down the leaderboard. Rahm matched his first-round 71, sitting three strokes off the lead.
The course conditions and leaderboard positions set up an intriguing weekend. McIlroy aims to win the World Tour Championship for the fourth time and tie the record for eight Race to Dubai titles. Chacarra’s emergence as a rookie contender adds drama, while Hatton’s consistent play keeps him firmly in the mix.
The third round will be critical at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where the Earth course continues to test the top players under demanding conditions.
According to Yahoo Sports.
