The 11th edition of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship is set for an enthralling final day over the Earth course with Spaniard Jon Rahm and Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera tied at the top of the leaderboard on 15 under par.
Overnight leader Lorenzo-Vera carded another sub 70 round with a three under par 66 but the Frenchman will be ruing finding the water on the last before missing a short par putt for the only blemish on his scorecard at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“The prize money is in my mind for sure,” said the 34 year old. “Maybe tomorrow I can shoot six under and sort my family our for the rest of our lives. So of course, it’s going to add some pressure. I still have US$3 million to lose but my mind-set is going to be the same. I’m going to try to be the most relaxed I can be.”
Rahm put himself in prime position to lift a fourth Rolex Series title at the European Tour’s grand final as well as being crowned the Race to Dubai champion with a sublime six under 66. The Spaniard carded seven birdies and only one bogey as he nearly replicated the third round seven under par 65 he shot on the way to victory at the tournament in 2017.
“It was a really good round,” said Rahm. “I got off to a great start on the front nine then kind of stalled a little bit but manged to get it going right away on the back nine.
“I’m really confident with every part of my game right now. I’m hitting a lot of great shots and giving myself chances. A lot of people are playing really well but hopefully I can keep this going tomorrow for 18 more holes and be the last man standing.”
Meanwhile, three-time Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy is lurking just behind the leaders after carding a spellbinding seven under par 65 left him two shots back. The Northern Irishman carded five birdies, along with a sensational eagle on the seventh, to put himself in contention for a hat trick of wins at the tournament.
“It would be really cool to finish the season off with a win, especially with the guys that are up there around the lead,” said McIlroy. “I’ve got to play another really good round of golf tomorrow to have a chance, but it would be awesome to win around here again, and obviously cap off what has been a great 2019.”
Tommy Fleetwood sits a shot further back in fourth place on 11 under par while Thomas Pieters completes the top five on ten under par in Dubai.
The final round gets underway at 7.50am.
