We are in for a thrilling finish at the DP World Tour Championship as both Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton have put themselves in contention to win.
Both McIlroy and Hatton are right up there on the tournament leaderboard and crucially, both are still in position to claim the Race to Dubai title.
Going into the week, McIlroy knew only Hatton and Marco Penge had a chance of catching him and with Penge out of the equation, it’s now Hatton who is the problem.
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McIlroy made a late birdie to take a share of the lead on -13 going into round four.
Hatton, though, is just one back on -12 and has a realistic chance of usurping his Ryder Cup teammate if things go his way and McIlroy falters.
Nevertheless, McIlroy remains confident and had his own opinion on he and Hatton’s positions.
Rory McIlroy reacts as Tyrrell Hatton remains in contention for the Race to Dubai
McIlroy is still a huge favourite to take the crown and while Hatton is in the mix, a lot can still happen.
McIlroy is seeking a 7th Race to Dubai title and if he lets it slip, it will surely only be down to his own failings in round four.
Speaking to the media after round three, though, McIlroy remains confident.
“Yeah, I got off to a good start. I hit two great shots into the first, two great shots into the second. I missed a 2 1/2, 3-footer on 2, three-putted that. I feel after that, I sort of let that affect me a little bit, especially on the greens for the next few holes,” he said.
“But stayed really patient, gave myself plenty of opportunity. Didn’t hole that much but I knew there was a few chances coming in. It was nice to take advantage of those, 14, 15, and 18. So overall, a bit of a battling day. The conditions were tricky enough. But happy to shoot the score that I did.
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Asked specifically on Hatton’s comeback and chances, McIlroy dismissed it due to his own position.
“No, you know, I’m in a better position than him. I’m focused on myself. If I go out and play the golf that I know I’m capable of, especially around this golf course, I know that it will be okay.”
What Rory McIlroy said about winning a 7th Race to Dubai title
Rory McIlroy’s year has been remarkable, even if he doesn’t win out here.
The likelihood is that he holds his nerve, shows his class and ultimately, wins again.
And speaking on what it would mean to him, McIlroy admitted it would cap quite the year for him.
“It would be an amazing way to end the season. You know, I knew coming out here for these two weeks, Dubai last week and this week, I needed to play well. Marco wasn’t that far behind. Obviously Tyrrell wasn’t that far behind. I knew I needed to come out here, play well. I played well when I needed to last week, especially at the weekend. I put myself in position to try to get another win here,” he continued.
“So yeah, really pleased. I certainly could have coasted into these couple of weeks and enjoyed myself but The Race to Dubai is important to me, and it’s important to me to try to get a little bit closer to Monty. As I said, I’ve put myself in a great position to go and do that tomorrow.”
With McIlroy joint leader, it would take some drop off for him to lose out now.
Still, he needs full focus and will want to ensure he wins the event itself to get the job done.
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