DUBAI // Rory McIlroy had conceded defeat before the DP World Tour Championship even started, while Danny Willett fell by the wayside after blowing out in Round 3. All of which means the 2016 Race to Dubai will come down to a final day shoot-out between the two Swedes, Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren.
22 = Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
• First in the Race to Dubai
• 4,000,562.92 points at the start of the tournament
Were the race to have ended on Saturday night, Stenson, who played the last seven holes of Round 3 in five-under, would have topped the order of merit by around 350,000 points from Danny Willett. Alex Noren’s inexhaustible challenge is not done yet, though.
More from DP World Tour Championship:
• Tee times: Groups and time for the final round
• Rory McIlroy: On a third round 68 and that viral interview
• Facts and figures: Numbers behind the Race to Dubai finale
51 = Danny Willett (England)
• Second in the Race to Dubai
• 299,675.03 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament
The Englishman’s faltering bid effectively reached its terminus after a third-round 76 at Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE). The Masters champion’s form has been stuttering in recent months, and he seems destined to finish the final tournament among the back markers.
13 = Alex Noren (Sweden)
• Third in the Race to Dubai
• 633,436.42 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament
The fact Stenson was number-crunching on Saturday night, and wary of exactly where Noren was on the leaderboard, is testament to the fact the quest of the lesser-celebrated Swede is still alive. He needs a titanic push in Sunday’s season-finale though.
22 = Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
• Fourth in the Race to Dubai
• 1,176,414.37 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament
Given the strong form of Tyrell Hatton at JGE, Rory McIlroy might even drop out of the top four in the money list. The projected standings, based on their Round 3 positions at Earth Course, have Hatton around 60,000 points ahead of the world No 2.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
