Rory McIlroy is competing for the lead with Dane Rasmus Hougaard and Frenchman Antoine Rosner in the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The four-time Northern Ireland champion carded a four-under-par 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to put himself in a shot at winning the European Tour’s season-ending championship for a third time.
The 35-year-old is already set to take the top spot in the Race to Dubai rankings and become the Tour’s golf champion for the sixth time.
“My goal is to be 18th with a chance of winning two titles instead of one,” McIlroy told Sky Sports after missing a birdie at the end to take the full lead.
The world number three has won two tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, taking the Dubai Desert Classic in January on the DP World Tour.
But he was unable to add more to his tally of major tournaments, and suffered his biggest disappointment at the US Open, where he finished second behind American Bryson DeChambeau.
“Tomorrow will be my last competitive round of the year, so it will be a great way to end the year,” McIlroy added. “It’s been a year filled with a lot of close calls along with a lot of really good golf and some wins along the way.
“It’s an opportunity to end the year really well and I’m going to go out there and try to get it done.”
Hojgaard made an early run with six birdies in his opening eight holes before finishing his round with 10 straight strokes for a six-under-par 66.
McIlroy also birdied six, but bogeys on the fourth and 10th holes halted his lead. Rosner hit an eagle shot on the par-5 18th to finish two under for the day and move back alongside the leaders after starting the round with a one-shot advantage.
Chile’s Joaquín Nyman and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson are two shots behind at 10 under par, while England’s Tyrrell Hatton remains in the mix at nine under par after posting a 71.
The 33-year-old started one shot off the front but lost ground with a bogey at the fourth. He took shots at the par-5 15th, snapping a club in anger after missing the green with his approach before hitting a birdie.
