Rory McIlroy shares lead with Tyrrell Hatton as Race to Dubai momentum swings in his favour

Rory McIlroy strengthened his bid for a record-tying eighth Race to Dubai title after carding a second-round 70 to share the halfway lead with Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton at the DP World Tour Championship.

McIlroy made an early charge up the leaderboard with three birdies in his first eight holes before adding another at the tenth. However, the Northern Irishman found the closing stretch increasingly difficult as windy conditions made scoring a challenge on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Bogeys at the 12th, 16th and 17th threatened to undo his progress, but a birdie at the last brought him back alongside Hatton on five-under-par, who had set the clubhouse target earlier in the afternoon.

With Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra tied 11th for the tournament after the first two days, there was a significant momentum swing in favour of McIlroy, who is currently projected to top the Ranking and capture his fifth straight Race to Dubai crown.

“I played very solidly for those first 11 holes,” McIlroy said afterwards.

“And then 12 felt like the first time I'd really put myself out of position. And once you do start putting yourself out of position on this golf course, this setup, these conditions, it starts to get very, very difficult.

“It's very easy to make bogeys out there. It's very, very tricky once you get yourself out of position. So, easy to make bogeys, but it was nice to at least birdie the last and feel like I sort of salvaged the day a little bit with that birdie.

“I've been coming to this golf course for 17 years, and this is the toughest I think it's ever played. So in my mind it's sort of like, well, you should be going out and shooting 66 or 65, and the course just isn't set up that way this week. And you just have to show a little bit more patience out there. And I started to get maybe a little bit frustrated with the course on the way in. But I think it's just the nature of it. It's a tough test.”

McIlroy boasts an impressive record at the Earth Course, having won the DP World Tour Championship three times and finished runner-up to Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off last year.

A fourth victory at the venue would secure both the tournament title and the Harry Vardon Trophy, extending his remarkable run of Race to Dubai success.

“I want to win this tournament,” McIlroy said after his round.

“You know, I've won four times down the road at Emirates. It'd be nice to win four times here. So, yeah, I want to win the tournament. And if I win the tournament, that's all I can do. It doesn't really matter what any of the other guys do, you know, if they play well enough. But if I go and I win the first trophy on Sunday, then the second trophy should take care of itself.”

Hatton will have his own ambitions heading into the weekend as he looks to claim his first DP World Tour Championship title after coming close on a number of occasions.

The Englishman, an eight-time DP World Tour winner and serial Rolex Series champion, made an excellent start with birdies at the first two holes before picking up another at the ninth to reach the turn in 33.

A bogey at the tenth briefly stalled momentum, but Hatton responded with a birdie-par-bogey-birdie finish to sign for a 69 and establish the clubhouse lead.

“Overall it was pretty solid,” Hatton said.

“A couple of really poor tee shots to the one up 7 and the one -- what hole was it? -- 12. Just, yeah, weird shots. Actually struggled with a couple of those in round one in Abu Dhabi last week. So, yeah, weird to see that that kind of crept in. Made me feel a little bit uncomfortable with driver for the rest of the round, to be honest.”

When he finished McIlroy was two ahead before his stumble on the back-nine, and Hatton aid he was conscious of how well this golf course suited him.

“I mean, hopefully -- I think Rory is 6-under or 7-under at the moment. So from my point of view, I hope he doesn't make too many birdies coming in. But he's got an amazing record around this golf course. It just sets up pretty well for him.

“I'm happy enough with where I'm placed after two rounds. Hopefully I can play better over the weekend and give myself more birdie opportunities.”

First round leader Joost Luiten is one shot behind on four-under with Kristoffer Reitan, one ahead of the trio of Mikael Lindberg, Freddy Schott and Victor Perez.

Three-time winner Jon Rahm sits in a good position alongside compatriot David Puig and South African Jayden Schaper, while Eugenio Chacarra is part of a group of four players tied for 11^th on one-under.

First-round leader Joost Luiten sits one shot behind at four under par alongside Kristoffer Reitan, while Mikael Lindberg, Freddy Schott and Victor Perez are another shot back.

Three-time tournament winner Jon Rahm is also well placed alongside compatriot David Puig and South African Jayden Schaper, while Chacarra is among a group of players at one-under and the Spaniard is hopeful he can give himself a chance over the weekend.

"I like how I'm hitting it," Chacarra said. "Like you said, there's been a lot of birdies in harder conditions. So if I can clean up the card a little, I like my chance on the weekend.