Rory McIlroy birdied the final hole at Jumeirah Golf Estates to tie Tyrrell Hatton atop the leaderboard after 36 holes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. McIlroy’s 2-under 70 on Friday left him and Hatton both on 5-under par for the week as they head into the weekend.
McIlroy’s round had its ups and downs. He started strongly, birdying four of his first 10 holes and keeping a clean card until a difficult stretch from the 12th brought three bogeys in six holes. The conditions on the Earth course, with a strong breeze, thick rough, and slick greens, tested the players’ patience and precision. But McIlroy regained his composure at the par-5 18th, reaching the green in two shots and sinking a six-foot birdie putt to salvage the day.
“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. He described the course as playing “as hard as ever” after 17 visits. “I feel like I salvaged the day a bit with that birdie.”
Hatton carded a 69 to match McIlroy’s score and share the lead. Meanwhile, Eugenio Chacarra remains in the mix after a round of 71 that featured a dramatic chip-in birdie on the 18th. The Spaniard is four shots behind the leaders but still holds a lead in the Race to Dubai standings. Chacarra said, “I like how I’m hitting it. If I can clean up the card a little, I like my chance on the weekend.”
The Race to Dubai leaderboard is tightly contested. Chacarra leads McIlroy by nearly 534 points, with 2,000 points available for the winner of the tournament. McIlroy is chasing an eighth Race to Dubai title, which would tie him with Colin Montgomerie for the most in history.
Patrick Reed’s challenge faltered after a second-round 77, including a back-nine 42, leaving him eight over for the tournament and out of contention. Jon Rahm, who won in Abu Dhabi last week, remains in touch with two rounds of 71 and trails the leaders by three shots. Rahm needs to win and for both McIlroy and Chacarra to fall well down the leaderboard to claim the Race to Dubai crown.
One of the more intriguing stories comes from Joost Luiten, who joined the field late due to withdrawals but made an immediate impact. After leading the first round, Luiten shot 73 on Friday and sits just one shot off the lead alongside Kristoffer Reitan, who posted a 70. Luiten said he approached the tournament with “nothing to lose” and is now eyeing a strong weekend that could secure him a place among the top 10 European Tour members to earn PGA Tour status next season. He recalled a memorable moment from three years ago at this venue when he got three clubs stuck in a tree trying to retrieve a ball.
The weekend promises intense competition with McIlroy and Hatton sharing the lead and Rahm within striking distance. The challenge for McIlroy includes surpassing Chacarra in points to claim the year-long Race to Dubai title. After two rounds, the battle remains wide open as the players prepare for the final 36 holes at the DP World Tour Championship.
According to Yahoo Sports.
