Rory charge has him on Rahm’s tail

A TOPSY-TURVY start followed by a finish of considerable quality. In many ways, Rory McIlroy’s stunning third round in Dubai mimicked his wider stay at a tournament that is suddenly offering him the prospect of two big victories in one day.

For much of the opening two rounds, the world No 1’s form indicated he would not only fall short in his challenge to win the DP World Tour Championship here in Dubai, but that he might also surrender his position at the top of the order of merit in the very last event of the season.

With a brilliant lap of 65 around the Earth Course, taking him to 12 under par, normality seems to be taking over.

His prospects of winning the tournament outright remain hard to call, not least because of a high-calibre leaderboard that is topped by Jon Rahm at 15 under, but a 36-hole deficit of seven strokes is now a disadvantage of only three.

By jumping from 11th to a tie for fourth, the Northern Irishman has also largely reeled in Matt Fitzpatrick, who has become his main threat in the season-long rankings. To simplify the complex mathematics, Fitzpatrick, at 14 under after carding 70, would take the Harry Vardon Trophy if he wins here and McIlroy finishes outside the top two, and likewise if he is second and McIlroy is outside the top seven.

For a time across Thursday and Friday, the stars were aligning perfectly for the US Open champion, but McIlroy isn’t the sort of opponent you want to seeing growing in size in the rear-view mirror.

‘It’s great to put myself in a position to not only win the DP World Tour rankings but the tournament as well,’ said McIlroy, who is attempting to become only the second player to win the Tour Championships

of both the PGA and European circuits in the same season.

With tighter driving than he showed in the first two rounds, McIlroy avoided this course’s penal rough and added seven birdies to an eagle. But it was slow going initially, with that eagle at three sandwiched by bogeys. His recovery saw him go through the next 15 in seven under, illuminated by fairway approach shots at eight and nine to within a foot of the pin.

However Rahm, the world No 5, is looking ominously strong after matching McIlroy’s 65.