Tyrrell Hatton leads as Race to Dubai goes down to wire

Detailed summary

Hatton moved to 9-under with a 4-under 68 on Saturday that included an eagle at the par-5 second hole, four birdies and two bogeys on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates ...

Rory McIlroy and Eugenio Chacarra are locked in a showdown for the Harry Vardon Trophy in Dubai, where Tyrrell Hatton takes a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the DP World Tour Championship.

Spain's Chacarra entered the final event on the European tour calendar leading Northern Ireland's McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings. They are tied at 5-under par, four shots behind England's Hatton, as McIlroy attempts to win the trophy for a record-tying eighth time.

Hatton moved to 9-under with a 4-under 68 on Saturday that included an eagle at the par-5 second hole, four birdies and two bogeys on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

"Every putt I had coming in, I think from 13, the par-3, was just unbelievably fast and (I'm) really happy with how I putted today," Hatton said.

"I think my iron play's been pretty good these last two weeks. Last week I was really happy with my wedges, this week it's a little bit harder to get the wedges right."

France's Victor Perez (67 on Saturday) is in solo second place at 8-under and Sweden's Mikael Lindberg (69) is third at 6-under.

McIlroy (72) and Chacarra (68) are tied for fourth place with Australia's Adam Scott (67) and Italy's Francesco Laporta (68) in the second tournament in the DP World Tour's two-week playoffs.

McIlroy was third last week at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, four shots behind winner Jon Rahm of Spain.

Chacarra's adventurous third round featured nine birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey 6 at the par-4 fifth hole. He closed strong with birdies at three of his last four holes.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Khaleej Times. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.