Jon Rahm took the lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship during the third round on Saturday at Yas Links. The Spaniard carded a 6-under 66 to reach a total of 18-under, putting him one stroke clear of the chasing pack.
The Chasing Pack and McIlroy’s Position
Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta sit one stroke behind Rahm after both players shot 67s on Saturday. Rory McIlroy is two shots back at 16-under overall following his own round of 67. McIlroy had shared the lead earlier in the day before dropping a shot on the par-3 17th. A double-bogey six at the 10th hole also cost him ground, interrupting a run of seven birdies across holes 7 and 14. His score earlier in the tournament was impacted by a Thursday penalty for improving his lie on the 12th hole. He admitted he was “a little rueful” about the missed chances.
“I have a good shot at it [Sunday], which is all I want,” McIlroy said, according to ESPN. “I’m going to have to go out and shoot a low one, something in the mid to low 60s to get it done,” he told reporters, according to GolfMagic.
Chasing Records and Tournament Standings
A victory in the tournament would match Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight career order of merit titles for McIlroy. He is currently projected to move into second place in the Race to Dubai standings behind Eugenio Chacarra, who shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to reach 8-under overall. The leaderboard features three Masters champions in the top five, with Adam Scott holding fifth place at 15-under. Scott has remained bogey-free through three rounds after posting a 66.
The playoff spans two weeks, with the top 50 ranked players qualifying for the $10 million finals event in Dubai scheduled for the following week. The final round gets underway on Sunday at Yas Links.
