Hatton leads in Dubai as McIlroy chases Race to Dubai title

Tyrrell Hatton leads the DP World Tour Championship after three rounds, on nine under par. Under par means fewer strokes than the course's standard score, so Hatton has taken nine fewer shots than par over his first 54 holes.

Victor Perez is one shot behind on eight under. Mikael Lindberg is third on six under. Hatton and Perez will be paired together in the final round, which will be played on Sunday at the Earth Course in Dubai.

The bigger story sits further down the board. Rory McIlroy started the third round tied for the lead with Hatton, but a 72 left him tied fourth on five under, four shots back. Hatton shot a 68, four under par, to move clear. BBC Sport reported the figures.

McIlroy's chase is about more than this one tournament. The Race to Dubai is the season-long points table that decides the tour's overall champion. McIlroy began the week more than 500 points behind Eugenio Chacarra.

Chacarra is also tied fourth on five under. He shot 68 in the third round, with nine birdies (one under par on a hole), three bogeys (one over) and a double bogey (two over). His round is the kind that keeps a title race alive, even with a blemish.

Here is the arithmetic. McIlroy wins the Race to Dubai if he finishes ahead of Chacarra and in the top four of the tournament. A win in Dubai would also guarantee him an eighth Race to Dubai title, which would equal the record held by Colin Montgomerie.

Jon Rahm is further off the pace. He fell six shots behind the lead after a third consecutive 71. He still has a route to the Race to Dubai title, because a victory on Sunday would give him a chance to claim it.

For the final round, the pairings tell their own story. McIlroy plays alongside Dan Bradbury, while the leader Hatton goes out with Perez, the man one shot behind him. Four shots is a useful cushion on a calm day, but a links-style course can turn quickly, and a single hot stretch on the back nine can move a leaderboard fast.