Rahm leads Abu Dhabi by one after eagle at the 11th; McIlroy two back

All three players in Sunday’s final group at Yas Links began the week outside the top 50 in the Race to Dubai, the line for next week’s DP World Tour Championship. Jon Rahm, 51st when he arrived, leads the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on −18 after a 66 on Saturday. Tyrrell Hatton, who began the week 55th, and Francesco Laporta, 57th, are one behind after 67s. A win is worth 1,500 Race to Dubai points and US$1.53 million.

Rahm dropped shots at the 4th, 5th and 6th, holes he said “got away from me for a second”. He birdied the 10th, holed from 24 feet for an eagle at the 11th and birdied the 12th to lead alone on −17. Hatton and Rory McIlroy both caught him on −17 before a birdie at the 15th put him back in front, and he parred the last three holes in 34°C heat.

McIlroy made eight birdies in a 67 and is two behind. He birdied the 2nd and the 7th, 8th and 9th to reach −15, then went through the back of the 10th green and made a double-bogey six. Four birdies in a row followed from the 11th, including a drive onto the green at the par-4 14th, and he was level with Rahm on −17. He bogeyed the par-3 17th after a poor bunker shot and lost his share of the lead. He said he would need “something in the mid to low 60s to get it done tomorrow.” He is projected to move up to second in the Race to Dubai behind Eugenio Chacarra, who shot 67 and is tied 29th on −8. A Race to Dubai title would be McIlroy’s eighth, equalling Colin Montgomerie’s record.

Hatton had three birdies by the 6th, bogeyed the 8th and made three birdies in four holes to the 14th. Laporta, who shared the lead after 36 holes with Rahm and Hatton, birdied his first two holes, almost holed his tee shot at the par-3 4th and reached −17 with a birdie at the 16th. Adam Scott shot 66 and is fifth on −15; he has not made a bogey in 54 holes.

Pos	Player	To par	R1	R2	R3
1	Jon Rahm	−18	65	67	66
T2	Tyrrell Hatton	−17	67	65	67
T2	Francesco Laporta	−17	62	70	67
4	Rory McIlroy	−16	70	63	67
5	Adam Scott	−15	68	67	66
T6	David Puig	−14	70	64	68
T6	Matthew Jordan	−14	66	67	69
T8	Nathan Kimsey	−12	71	66	67
T8	Jayden Schaper	−12	68	70	66
T8	Daniel Hillier	−12	69	67	68
T8	Sam Bairstow	−12	65	68	71
T8	Bernd Wiesberger	−12	65	69	70
T8	Adrian Meronk	−12	66	67	71

Aaron Rai, the defending champion, is on −9 after a 69. Patrick Reed, who arrived as Chacarra’s nearest challenger in the rankings, shot 70 and is on −1.

The final round is under way. McIlroy goes out with Scott and Puig at 07:14 GMT, and Rahm, Hatton and Laporta follow at 07:25 GMT. Sky Sports Golf has been live since 06:30 GMT.

Sources

• Golf Today: Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship 2026 R3
• Golf Channel: Jon Rahm takes one-shot lead with Rory McIlroy two back in Abu Dhabi
• Sky Sports: Jon Rahm leads Abu Dhabi Championship with Rory McIlroy among challengers
• TSN (AP): Rahm shoots 66 to lead by one in Abu Dhabi
• Golf Monthly: Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship tee times 2026, final round