Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton are both one stroke behind the leader, Antoine Rozner, after the second round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Rozner, from France, posted an impressive bogey-free seven-under-par 65, moving him to nine under for the tournament. McIlroy and Hatton each shot 69s, following their opening rounds of 67, leaving them tied for second place.
McIlroy’s strong performance in the first two rounds has him in a great position to secure a third consecutive Race to Dubai title. He now leads his nearest challenger, South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, by a considerable margin. Lawrence, who is McIlroy’s only remaining rival for the overall Race to Dubai title, sits 34th after shooting an even-par round. For Lawrence to win the Race to Dubai, McIlroy would need to finish outside the top 11, and Lawrence would have to secure the victory.
The 35-year-old McIlroy made an excellent start on Friday with four birdies in his first seven holes. However, he was disappointed that he couldn’t build on that momentum. McIlroy bogeyed two of his next three holes, which he attributed to missing fairways around the turn. He admitted that the thick rough on the course makes it difficult to regain control of the ball when it’s off target. Despite this, McIlroy remains focused on winning the tournament itself, rather than worrying about the overall Race to Dubai title. He said, “At this point I’m just trying to win the golf tournament. If I win the golf tournament, then everything else that happens alongside that is nice.”
Hatton, who has had a solid but somewhat frustrating week, reflected on his performance, expressing disappointment that he couldn’t match the form of his playing partner McIlroy. The 33-year-old Englishman said he was “frustrated” with his game but acknowledged that his position on the leaderboard was still positive. Hatton pointed out that the scoring has not been as low as in previous years, which has worked in his favor, allowing him to stay within striking distance.
Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann is two strokes behind Rozner, sitting in fourth place. Meanwhile, Ireland’s Shane Lowry is among four players tied at six under, further adding to the competitive field. Paul Waring, who is fighting to secure one of the 10 available PGA Tour cards for next season, is four shots off the lead, alongside Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace. With the third round ahead, the leaderboard remains tight, and several players are still in contention for the coveted title.
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