McIlroy and Hatton share Dubai golf lead at halfway

Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton share the halfway lead at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. McIlroy is also chasing the separate season-long Race to Dubai title, which Eugenio Chacarra leads.

Chacarra entered the championship 533.93 points ahead of McIlroy after winning three times earlier in the season. The tournament winner receives 2,000 Race to Dubai points.

Norway’s Reitan and Dutch overnight leader Luiten are one shot behind the leaders. Chacarra birdied his final two holes, including a chip-in at the last, to remain within reach. A birdie is one stroke under a hole’s par, its expected score.

Two titles at stake

Nine players entered the tournament able to win the season title: Chacarra, McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Casey Jarvis, Aaron Rai, Jon Rahm, Ryan Fox, Jayden Schaper and Daniel Hillier. Only Chacarra and McIlroy are guaranteed to take it if they win in Dubai. Hatton cannot win the season crown; he is seeking his ninth DP World Tour victory and his first since leaving LIV Golf.

A tournament victory would be McIlroy’s fourth at the championship and give him a fifth consecutive season title. His eighth season crown would match Colin Montgomerie’s record.

South Africa’s Schaper and Spain’s Rahm also remain eligible for the season title, after second rounds of 68 and 71 respectively. Rahm moved into contention by winning in Abu Dhabi the previous week, his first tournament victory since leaving LIV Golf, when Hatton finished second. American Reed entered Dubai third in the season standings and shot 75 and 77 in his first two rounds.

How the leaders reached halfway

McIlroy followed an opening 69 with a 70. He made four birdies in his first 10 holes of the second round, then made a bogey at the 12th and dropped shots at the 16th and 17th before a closing birdie.

Hatton shot 69 with five birdies and two bogeys, or holes played one stroke over par. He made three birdies on a bogey-free front nine, dropped a shot at the 10th and birdied the 15th. He recovered from a bogey at the 17th, where he found a greenside bunker, with a birdie at the last. Luiten followed his opening 67 with a 73, losing the outright lead. Chacarra opened with a level-par 72, finishing his front nine with three consecutive birdies before dropping shots at the 13th and 15th.

McIlroy said the course setup had made scoring higher than in previous years, but that a forecast reduction in wind might help over the weekend. Hatton said shifting wind had made club selection difficult and strengthened late in his second round.

McIlroy and Hatton are scheduled to begin Saturday’s third round together in the final pairing at 12:40 Dubai time (12:40 Yerevan time). The final round is scheduled for Sunday.