Dubai: Tyrrell Hatton will head into the final round of the 2026 DP World Tour Championship with a one-shot advantage, while much of the attention remains on the fight for the Race to Dubai title behind him.
A closing birdie from playing partner Rory McIlroy kept the Northern Irishman's hopes of finishing top of the Race to Dubai Rankings delivered by DP World for a record-equalling eighth time firmly alive. McIlroy responded to a third-round 68 from pre-tournament leader Eugenio Chacarra to remain in contention.
McIlroy and Chacarra are level on five under par and appear to be the leading contenders for the Harry Vardon Trophy. Jon Rahm had kept his hopes of claiming the season-long crown alive with victory at last week's Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, while Patrick Reed had led the rankings for much of the campaign. However, both now require a significant turnaround in Sunday's final round to challenge for top spot.
Hatton sits at the top of the tournament leaderboard on nine under par, with France's Victor Perez his nearest challenger. The Englishman knows there is still plenty of work to do.
"I know tomorrow's going to be a tough day, I've got enough experience down these last few holes to know that anything can happen. I'll just go out tomorrow and try my best."
