McIlroy & Hatton Share the Lead in Dubai

• Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton share the halfway lead at the DP World Tour Championship.
• McIlroy carded a second-round 70 and Hatton a 69 on the Earth Course.
• Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra is tied 11th, four shots off the lead.

Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th on Friday to rescue a second-round 70 and draw level with Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton on 5-under at the halfway stage of the DP World Tour Championship.

Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra is tied 11th, four shots back, and that leaves McIlroy projected to top the rankings. He would take a fifth successive Harry Vardon Trophy and an eighth in all, drawing level with Colin Montgomerie’s record.

How did McIlroy’s round unfold?

McIlroy began the day two behind Joost Luiten after an opening 69. Three birdies in his first eight holes and another at the 10th took him to 7-under, two clear of Hatton’s clubhouse total. The wind then made the closing stretch at Jumeirah Golf Estates much harder. Bogeys at the 12th, 16th and 17th dropped him back to 4-under before the birdie at the last.

“I played very solidly for those first 11 holes,” McIlroy said. “And then 12 felt like the first time I’d really put myself out of position. And once you do start putting yourself out of position on this golf course, this setup, these conditions, it starts to get very, very difficult.”

“I’ve been coming to this golf course for 17 years, and this is the toughest I think it’s ever played,” he said. “So in my mind it’s sort of like, well, you should be going out and shooting 66 or 65, and the course just isn’t set up that way this week. And you just have to show a little bit more patience out there.”

McIlroy won this event in 2012, 2015 and 2024, and lost a play-off to Matt Fitzpatrick last year. A fourth win on the Earth Course would also settle the Race to Dubai.

“You know, I’ve won four times down the road at Emirates. It’d be nice to win four times here,” he said. “If I go and I win the first trophy on Sunday, then the second trophy should take care of itself.”

Hatton sets the target

Hatton finished second to Jon Rahm at last week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. The eight-time DP World Tour winner has come close at this event before but has never won it. He birdied the first two holes and added another at the 9th to turn in 33. After a bogey at the 10th, he finished birdie-par-bogey-birdie for a 69 and the clubhouse lead.

“A couple of really poor tee shots to the one up 7 and the one… 12. Just, yeah, weird shots,” said the Englishman. “Made me feel a little bit uncomfortable with driver for the rest of the round, to be honest.”

McIlroy was two ahead of him when Hatton came off the course.

“From my point of view, I hope he doesn’t make too many birdies coming in,” Hatton said. “But he’s got an amazing record around this golf course. It just sets up pretty well for him.”

Chacarra still in touch

Luiten and Kristoffer Reitan are one shot back on 4-under. Mikael Lindberg, Freddy Schott and Victor Perez sit on 3-under. Rahm, a three-time winner of this event, is well placed alongside fellow Spaniard David Puig and South Africa’s Jayden Schaper.

Chacarra moved to the top of the rankings with his win in Delhi last month. He is part of a group of four on 1-under.

“I like how I’m hitting it,” Chacarra said. “There’s been a lot of birdies in harder conditions. So if I can clean up the card a little, I like my chance on the weekend.”

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