Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard carded a bogey-free second round of 7-under 65 on Friday to take a three-shot lead at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Hojgaard posted five birdies and an eagle at the par-5 second hole to get to 12-under at the Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course.
“It’s one of my favorite tournaments to play,” Hojgaard said. “It’s great to be back in a bit of form. It suits my eye. It plays into my strengths, which is mid-irons. It’s just a really good fit for me.”
The five-player pack tied for second includes Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, bidding to be crowned as Europe’s top player for the fourth straight year and the seventh time in his career. His roller-coaster round of 69 included six birdies and three bogeys.
McIlroy is tied at 9-under with England’s Justin Rose (67), Ireland’s Shane Lowry (67), Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (67) and New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier (68).
Four players share seventh place at 8-under par, including England’s Tommy Fleetwood (71) and Laurie Canter (68), Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (67) and Sweden’s Alex Noren (68).
The only golfers who can overtake McIlroy this week are Englishmen Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton, who are second and third in the Race to Dubai standings. Hatton (67) is tied for 11th at 7-under while Penge (70) is 12 shots behind Hojgaard. Hatton must win the tournament and have McIlroy finish worse than tied for eighth to capture the title.
