Rory McIlroy’s still second to Tiger Woods”- Fans react as the Northern Irishman inches closer to competing “Dubai Double”

Rory McIlroy moved into a share of the lead on Saturday at the DP World Tour Championship, moving closer to a fifth global win this year and a seventh Race to Dubai title. Fans were quick to react online, with some cheering his form and others jokingly reminding him he’s still behind Tiger Woods in the all-time debate.

The Northern Irishman finished strong with three birdies in his final five holes to card a four-under 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, finishing the day with a total of five birdies and one bogey. His 13-under score tied him with Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at the top as the season heads into its final day.

Sky Sports Golf noted on X that McIlroy is still in strong contention to win both the DP World Tour Championship and the season-long Race to Dubai title.

Fans reacted quickly to the leaderboard update. One wrote,

“He's still second to Tiger”

Another commented,

“He is a class act without making many putts but that goes for most of the top players today”

One user cheered simply in all caps:

“RORY!!”

Another joked,

“Meanwhile the Halo version: "Be amazed as these men manage to hit the ball every time. What is their beauty regime?"

One fan added:

“Go Rory all the best to all golfers”

A screenshot of Fan reactions on Sky Sports Golf's post (via X)

The leaderboard remains tight. Sixteen players are within three shots, including Shane Lowry at 10-under. Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton are at 12-under, just a stroke off the lead. Overnight leader Nicolai Højgaard slipped with a 73 to 11-under, while Tom McKibbin sits tied 24th at six-under.

Rory McIlroy says the Race to Dubai is important to him

Rory McIlroy heads into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship with a 767-point lead at the top of the season-long Race to Dubai standings, aiming for a fourth consecutive title.

After Saturday’s round, Rory McIlroy said he is focused on his own game.

“If I go out and play the golf that I know I’m capable of, especially around this golf course, I know that it will be okay,” he said. “It would be an amazing way to end the season. I certainly could have coasted into these couple of weeks and enjoyed myself but The Race to Dubai is important to me, and it’s important to me to try to get a little bit closer to Monty. I’ve put myself in a great position to go and do that tomorrow.”

A win this week would give Rory McIlroy his seventh Race to Dubai title, moving past Seve Ballesteros and leaving him just one behind Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight. Before the Race to Dubai existed, Europe’s season-long title was called the Order of Merit, with Montgomerie dominating the 1990s and early 2000s to set the benchmark for consistent season-long performance.

McIlroy will tee off at 12:20 pm local time on Sunday. He will play alongside Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen for the final round.

Edited by Sonali Verma