McIlroy mixed six birdies with two bogeys during a four-under 68 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, moving to 12-under alongside Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard and overnight leader Antoine Rozner.
Hojgaard made six birdies in a seven-hole stretch on his way to a bogey-free 66 and Rozner carded a final-hole eagle to make it a three-way tie at the top, with Joaquin Niemann two back in tied-fourth alongside Sweden’s Jesper Svensson.
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McIlroy is on the verge of securing the Race to Dubai title and matching Seve Ballesteros’ tally of six Order of Merit wins, requiring only a top-11 finish even if Thriston Lawrence – eight back – wins, with the world No 3 now also in prime position to win the DP World Tour Championship for a third time.
Three locked for Dubai lead in season finale
Rozner – holding a one-shot halfway lead – produced a sensational up and down from the back of the first green to temporarily stay ahead of McIlroy, who missed an eight-foot birdie chance before pulling level by two-putting from 40 feet at the par-five second.
Hojgaard – who started the weekend three back – charged into contention by firing four consecutive birdies from the second, all from inside five feet, which gave him a two-shot lead when Rozner three-putted the par-three fourth, and McIlroy also made bogey after finding sand off the tee.
Rozner and McIlroy both responded by converting 10-foot birdies at the fifth to get to nine under, only for Hojgaard to jump three clear when he took advantage of the par-five seventh and rolled in from 25 feet at the next for a sixth birdie in seven holes.
McIlroy came agonisingly close to an eagle at the seventh and added a fourth birdie of his front nine after a brilliant wedge into the par-four ninth, leaving him one behind Hojgaard at the turn, with Rozner a further stroke back after matching the birdie.
A poor chip across the green from McIlroy at the par-four 10th saw him open his back nine with a bogey, but he matched Rozner’s birdie at the 11th and added another from 20 feet at the par-four 12th to move alongside Hojgaard.
Hojgaard failed to match his front-nine scoring as he went on a run of pars, with McIlroy also unable to pick up a shot at the par-five 14th and Rozner falling two behind despite reaching the rough just short of the green in two.
McIlroy scrambled a par at the 16th to stay tied with Hojgaard, who holed from the fringe to save par at the 17th, before recovering from finding water off the 18th tee to make a 20-foot putt and close out a bogey-free round in remarkable fashion.
Further final-hole drama was produced by the final group, as McIlroy’s birdie putt for the solo lead lipped out of the hole and Rozner converted an eight-foot eagle after a brilliant approach to join the leaders on 12 under.
Svensson boosted his hopes of securing one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer with a bogey-free 68, with Niemann also sharing fourth after a third-round 69, while Tyrrell Hatton – three back – was criticised for snapping his club in anger on the par-five 14th during a one-under 71.
McIlroy: I want two trophies instead of one!
Rory McIlroy: “As I said at the start of the week, my goal tomorrow is to be on that 18th green with two trophies instead of one. I was with one of the Hojgaard brothers on the 18th last year and hopefully I’m not with the other one tomorrow!
“If I was to do it tomorrow, I’d walk away from this year with four worldwide wins, which is still pretty good. I’m excited about tomorrow. It’s an opportunity to to end the year on a really good note. I’m going to go out there and try to get it done.”
Rasmus Hojgaard: “I obviously hit it very close on the front nine, which was a massive confidence boost. I was just trying to ride the wave, see how many birdies I could make and then obviously it got a little bit more quiet on the back nine.
“I will approach tomorrow like I did today, try not to worry too much about what’s ahead of me, try and play one hole at a time and get the best score possible.”
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.”
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