Rory McIlroy is poised for a striking finale at the DP World Tour Championship, where he shares the third-round lead with Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard and France’s Antoine Rozner.
McIlroy, currently ranked third globally, eyes his sixth Race to Dubai Rankings title, demonstrating his unyielding pursuit of excellence on the Earth course.
Initiating the round just a stroke behind the erstwhile leader Rozner, McIlroy watched as Højgaard briefly took command, amassing a trio of birdies early on.
Yet, it was McIlroy’s resilience from the seventh hole—scoring four birdies despite a minor setback—that realigned him with Højgaard at the top.
The tournament’s crescendo saw both leaders parrying shot for shot, neither able to edge ahead, culminating in a deadlock.
Rory McIlroy: “After the birdie on 12, you know, I had a good chance, I hit a really good shot into 13 and just caught the edge.
And then 14 and 15 are birdie holes, and not being able to birdie either of those, and only with a six-iron in my hand going into the last green and not making birdie there, as well.
“A little disappointed how I played those last five holes, but still obviously in a really good position heading into tomorrow.
“It is. Tied for the lead. You know, going out on a golf course that I really like and that I’ve had success on before.
“Yeah, look, it’s a great opportunity to end the year on a really high note. Going to go out there tomorrow and give it everything I can and hopefully things fall my way and I’m able to stand on that 18th green with both trophies.
“I’ve been able to do it twice before. So yeah, to do it again would be great. I’ve been really proud of my consistency, especially on this tour, the tournaments I haven’t — just DP World Tour events, Rolex Series events, it doesn’t feel like I’ve finished outside the top five in many of them this year. It would be a great way to finish the year.”
Rozner’s dramatic eagle on the final hole ensured a tantalizing three-way tie entering the championship’s last day.
As Rozner eyes a significant leap in the Race to Dubai and potential PGA TOUR membership, he’s not the only golfer making moves.
Antoine Rozner: “I think the eagle on last helped me big time. I’m happy with my day overall. I didn’t produce my best golf of the week so far but I was always hanging in there. I managed to hole a couple putts on the back nine that were big for me.
“I think shooting in the 60s here is good. It’s always good. So I have to be happy with the score for sure.
“Besides being 50 yards behind on every tee shot, I think it was pretty fun. He’s a nice guy.
He’s been very cool with me from the first tee until the end. So it was for sure a really good experience; a day I’ll not forget.
“But again, I had a lot of fun, and making eagle on the last was fantastic for me. I wasn’t aiming there but yeah, happy with the results.
“To be honest I don’t know what to tell you right now because I’m going to try to focus on tomorrow and tomorrow only. Put a good score, and that’s the only thing that’s going to matter now for me. I have to come out with the right mindset, and yeah, do the best I can and we’ll see how it goes in the end.”
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson are hot on their heels, while England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin remain strong contenders.
The leaderboard is dense with talent, including Ryder Cup veterans Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, former world leader Adam Scott, and England’s Matt Wallace, all within striking distance.
As the 2024 DP World Tour reaches its zenith, these final rounds promise to be nothing short of electrifying.
