DP World Tour C’ship set for exciting final round showdown

Spain’s Jon Rahm and Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera share lead in the penultimate round as the DP World Tour Championship heads for an exciting finish at the Earth course in Dubai on Sunday.

Lorenzo-Vera bogeyed the 18th hole for the second straight day to shoot 69 and drop into a share of the lead with Rahm, who needs to finish first or second to stand a chance of becoming European No. 1 for the first time.

They are 15 under par overall, two strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy (65) and four clear of fourth-place Tommy Fleetwood (70) - another Race to Dubai contender.

Bernd Wiesberger, who leads the Race to Dubai standings, was tied for 24th place - 13 strokes behind Rahm and Lorenzo-Vera - after shooting 73.

Rahm can take the title if he wins and Wiesberger finishes lower than outright second, or if he finishes outright second and Wiesberger finishes worse than tied for fifth place with one other player.

Lorenzo-Vera will be ruing finding the water on the last before missing a short par putt for the only blemish on his scorecard at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“The prize money is in my mind for sure,” said the 34 year old.

“Maybe tomorrow I can shoot six under and sort my family for the rest of our lives. So of course, it’s going to add some pressure. I still have $3 million to lose but my mind-set is going to be the same. I’m going to try to be the most relaxed I can be.”

Rahm put himself in prime position to lift a fourth Rolex Series title at the European Tour’s grand final as well as being crowned the Race to Dubai champion with a sublime six under 66.

The Spaniard carded seven birdies and only one bogey as he nearly replicated the third round seven under par 65 he shot on the way to victory at the tournament in 2017.

“It was a really good round,” said Rahm.

“I got off to a great start on the front nine then kind of stalled a little bit but manged to get it going right away on the back nine.

“I’m really confident with every part of my game right now. I’m hitting a lot of great shots and giving myself chances. A lot of people are playing really well but hopefully I can keep this going tomorrow for 18 more holes and be the last man standing.”

Rahm won the season-ending event once and claimed a share of fourth place in his two starts at the Earth Course at Jumeirah golf Estates. Another victory will earn him $3 million - the richest first prize in golf.

Rahm would also join the late Seve Ballesteros as the second Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai.

“Gives me goosebumps to think about that,” he said. “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 not even Sergio (Garcia) or Miguel Angel (Jimenez) or Olly (Jose Maria Olazabal) or many other great players couldn’t get it done. It’s hard to believe that I have the chance to be the second.”

Meanwhile, three-time Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy is lurking just behind the leaders after carding a spellbinding seven under par 65 left him two shots back. The Northern Irishman carded five birdies, along with a sensational eagle on the seventh, to put himself in contention for a hattrick of wins at the tournament.

“It would be really cool to finish the season off with a win, especially with the guys that are up there around the lead,” said McIlroy.

“I’ve got to play another really good round of golf tomorrow to have a chance, but it would be awesome to win around here again, and obviously cap off what has been a great 2019.”

“I’m going to have to go out there and shoot a similar score tomorrow to what I did today to really have a chance. But just really pleased that I got myself back in the golf tournament.”

Tommy Fleetwood sits a shot further back in fourth place on 11 under par while Thomas Pieters completes the top five on ten under par in Dubai. The final round gets underway at 7.50am.