Rahm in position as McIlroy lurks and Lowry seeks big finale in Dubai
Jon Rahm. Picture: Getty Images
Jon Rahm is in position to snatch the Race to Dubai from Bernd Wiesberger after he fired a six-under-par 66 to share the lead with Mike Lorenzo-Vera heading into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Spaniard Rahm birdied two of his last three holes to set the clubhouse target of 15 under par which was then matched by Frenchman Lorenzo-Vera who signed for a round of 69.
However, Rory McIlroy is lurking just two shots of the lead in third after bouncing back from his second-round 74 with a bogey-free 65 and keen to clinch his fifth win of what has been a year of two halves - brilliance in the weekly tour events and disappointment in the majors.
Shane Lowry struggled but chiselled out a two-under 70 to move up to tied 11th on five-under and while the Race to Dubai title now looks out of reach for the Open champion, he's looking to finish a momentous year on a high and make sure he retains his top-five position in the season-long race if he's to claim his share of the $5 million Bonus Pool.
Lorenzo-Vera had held a three-shot overnight advantage and looked a comfortable front-runner throughout his third round, posting birdies on the sixth, seventh, ninth and 14th holes before his only bogey of the day on the last hole after finding water off the tee and then three-putting.
With the winner of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai earning $3million - the richest first prize in tournament golf – Rahm is now on course to win the season-long Race to Dubai.
We have a new Race to Dubai leader 👀#DPWTC #RolexSeries
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 23, 2019
He will have one eye on McIlroy, who corrected the technical problems that plagued him on Friday and made an eagle and five birdies to put himself in position to win the event for the third time.
"I'm going to have to go out there and shoot a similar score tomorrow to do what I did today to really have a chance," McIlroy said. "But just really pleased that I got myself back in the golf tournament.
"It would be really cool, especially with the guys that are up there around the lead. You've got Rahmbo is playing great. Tommy, obviously Mike is holding steady up there.
"I've got to play another really good round of golf tomorrow to have a chance, but yeah, it would be awesome to win around here again, and obviously cap off what has been a great 2019."
Rahm is the only player to win three Rolex Series titles so far and should he secure a fourth, and a second DP World Tour Championship following his win two years ago, he would need current Race to Dubai leader Wiesberger to finish outside the top two.
That looks increasingly likely after the Austrian carded three bogeys from the 11th hole in his one over par 73, meaning he goes into the final round 13 shots behind the leaders in a share of 24th position.
Rahm could also yet be denied by England's Tommy Fleetwood, who could claim his second Race to Dubai title in two years if he finishes second and Rahm does not win the tournament.
Fleetwood birdied his final hole for a round of 70 and is four shots back on 11 under par. Still, the Ryder Cup star will be aiming to make up a deficit for the second Rolex Series event in a row after coming from six shots back to win last week's Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player.
"Hopefully I can keep this going tomorrow for 18 more holes and be the last man standing," said Rahm, who is looking to become just the second Spaniard to finish the year as European No 1 since Seve Ballesteros won his sixth Order of Merit in 1991.
"Gives me goosebumps to think about that. I've said it many times. As a Spaniard, any time you join or you have the chance to put your name on a list where there's only one name and that name is Seve, it's pretty impactful.
"It's really emotional for all of us. To think in a not even Sergio or Miguel Ãngel or Olly or many other great players couldn't get it done. It's hard to believe that I have the chance to be the second. I'm just going to try to enjoy the afternoon. There are still 18 more holes to play."
Another amazing McIlroy 3-wood!
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 23, 2019
Another eagle. Now just two back.#DPWTC #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/byjcn5OByI
While there's $3 million for the winner this week, the Race to Dubai champion will pick up and extra $ 2 million from the $5 million Bonus Pool with second earning $1.2m, third $700,000, fourth $600,000 and fifth $500,000.
Lowry is projected to finish fourth in the season-long race but he played down the money angle after a hard-fought 70.
"I never play this game for money or anything like that," he told Denis Kirwan afterwards. "Whatever you get at the end of the week is what you get and I am very fortunate to get a decent enough sums at times."
He's hoping to get to double-digits under par with a 67 or better but knows his game is anything but predictable right now as he prepares to reflect on the best season of his career.
"There wasn't much solid about it," he said of his day. "I think I hit four fairways on a course with pretty wide fairways and just struggled.
"I am still in with a shout of a good week. I am probably too far behind the leaders but you never know. I have shot a low round on Sunday before (63 two years ago to finish second), and hopefully, I can go out and do that tomorrow.
"Golf's such a funny game. It's chalk and cheese how I've played the last two days and I've shot similar scores. It puzzles me at times. I played lovely yesterday and I felt I struggled out there today. But I did what I do best and got the ball around in as few strokes as I could, and 70 was a good score the way I played today. So I am happy enough with that.
"In years past, if you were five-under going in the final day you'd be in the middle of the field at best. You'd normally need to be in double figures under par going into Sunday to have a chance, but it's just played more difficult this year. I think double figures would be a good target. If I could get to 10 under with five-under tomorrow.
"I will just have to go out and do my best tomorrow and one more round of what has been a pretty good year."
The Ryder Cup is a big goal for Lowry next year, and he must now find a way of dealing with the challenge of 2020 and resetting his goals.
"I am looking forward to reflecting and sitting back and enjoying it," he said. "I said it to Bernd going down the last. We didn't have our best today, but if you look at the years we've had, if you had told us in January that we'd have what we have, you wouldn't have left the house.
"It's been an incredible year and one that will be very hard to beat next year but I have to go away now this winter and try to work on a few things and try to get a little bit better, come back out in January and hopefully get off to a decent start next year again and keep it going."
As for the EDGA event for golfers with a disability, Dundalk's Brendan Lawlor finished fifth on 172, 13 shots behind George Groves.
DP World Tour Championship, Dubai; Jumeirah Golf Estates (Par 72)
201 J Rahm (Esp) 66 69 66, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 63 69 69,
203 R McIlroy (Nir) 64 74 65,
205 T Fleetwood (Eng) 67 68 70,
206 T Pieters (Bel) 70 68 68,
207 M Kinhult (Swe) 68 71 68,
208 D Willett (Eng) 69 72 67, C Bezuidenhout (RSA) 71 67 70,
210 M Fitzpatrick (Eng) 71 71 68, T Lewis (Eng) 67 70 73,
211 T Detry (Bel) 69 71 71, G Migliozzi (Ita) 73 70 68, S Garcia (Esp) 71 73 67, A Sullivan (Eng) 70 74 67, S Lowry (Irl) 73 68 70,
212 J Rose (Eng) 69 70 73, M Schwab (Aut) 69 73 70, P Casey (Eng) 73 73 66, A Arnaus (Esp) 70 70 72,
213 J Luiten (Ned) 74 71 68, R Macintyre (Sco) 71 74 68, M Wallace (Eng) 70 74 69, L Oosthuizen (RSA) 70 70 73,
214 P Reed (USA) 74 68 72, B Wiesberger (Aut) 70 71 73, R Sterne (RSA) 71 72 71, J Campillo (Esp) 73 72 69, D Lipsky (USA) 72 71 71,
215 R Cabrera Bello (Esp) 68 73 74, J Scrivener (Aus) 71 72 72, J Hansen (Den) 74 73 68,
216 P Waring (Eng) 71 77 68, E Van Rooyen (RSA) 71 72 73, M Southgate (Eng) 75 71 70, J Harding (RSA) 73 73 70, R Langasque (Fra) 71 74 71, F Molinari (Ita) 69 76 71,
217 L Westwood (Eng) 73 70 74, J Smith (Eng) 74 73 70, B Hebert (Fra) 70 74 73,
218 M Korhonen (Fin) 72 76 70, V Perez (Fra) 73 73 72,
220 H Li (Chn) 69 77 74, A Rai (Eng) 75 69 76, I Poulter (Eng) 74 76 70,
221 T Hatton (Eng) 73 79 69, H Stenson (Swe) 74 70 77,
222 A Pavan (Ita) 77 74 71,
223 K Kitayama (USA) 71 75 77,
224 S Hend (Aus) 76 75 73
