The final hour at the Jumeirah Golf Estates saw an eight-point tie for the lead at one point. Nicolai Hojgaard started the third round with a lead and his twin brother became one of the leaders by the afternoon.
When the third round ended, McIlroy and Neergaard-Peterson (68) were at 13-under 203, one shot ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and five other players.
Hatton is the only player with a mathematical chance of catching McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, although that would require a collapse of the Masters champion on the Earth course, where McIlroy is the defending champion and has three titles.
“It would be a great way to end the season,” said McIlroy, who finished tied for third in Abu Dhabi last week to strengthen his position at the top. “I played well last week when I needed to, especially at the weekend. I put myself in a position to try and get another win here. So yeah, I’m really happy.”
Marco Penge of England, number 2 in the Race to Dubai, opened with a 74 and has been largely out of the picture since. He shot 68 on Saturday, but remains nine behind. Hatton will be the next challenger and his 67 left him in the chasing pack.
Hatton should win and leave McIlroy outside the top eight, but with so many players at the top it’s not unreasonable for that to happen.
“Today’s round has given me an opportunity,” said Hatton.
There is also a lot at stake for Neergaard-Petersen. He kept a clean card after a bogey at the start for a 68, which earned him a spot in the final group of the season finale and his first time playing with McIlroy. A strong finish could be enough for the Dane to earn one of the ten leading spots for tour players to earn a 2026 PGA Tour card.
“I’ve had a big goal this year: to see if I could win here, and if I could do that tomorrow and cross the line, that would of course be incredible,” he said.
The one-lead group includes Rasmus Hojgaard (65), Matt Fitzpatrick (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68), Laurie Canter (68) and Angel Ayora of Spain, who made the final bogey for a 67.
Nicolai Hojgaard slid to a 73, but was still only two shots behind, along with Justin Rose (70) and Ludvig Åberg (67).
It promises to be a wide-open end to the European touring season, with McIlroy going for a seventh title as Europe’s No. 1, one shy of Colin Montgomerie’s record. It’s already been a banner year for McIlroy, who completed the Grand Slam career at Augusta National, won The Players Championship and Pebble Beach, won the Irish Open and led Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup.
“I definitely could have gotten through these few weeks and enjoyed them,” McIlroy said. “But the Race to Dubai is important to me, and it’s important to me to try and get a little bit closer to Monty. Like I said, I’ve put myself in a great position to do that tomorrow.”
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