Sunday 24 November 2019 09:55, UK
Jon Rahm bolstered his hopes of ending the year as European No 1 by grabbing a share of the lead at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Rahm, who needs a top-two finish to have a chance of winning the Race to Dubai, birdied two of his final three holes to post a six-under 66 at Jumeriah Golf Estates and get to 15 under.
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The Spaniard is tied at the top with Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who retained his overnight advantage until finishing his third-round 69 with a three-putt bogey, while Rory McIlroy moved within two strokes of the lead with a round-of-the-day 65.
Starting the day three ahead, Lorenzo-Vera quickly saw his lead cut to one when Rahm opened with back-to-back birdies, while McIlroy also picked up shots over the first two holes and struck a stunning three-wood at the par-five seventh to set up a close-range eagle.
The world No 2 then drained a 25-footer at the eighth to briefly get within one of the lead, only for Lorenzo-Vera to roll in a five-footer at the sixth and add another birdie at the par-five next.
Rahm birdied the seventh but dropped a shot at the eighth after three-putting from off the green, as Lorenzo-Vera holed his lengthy putt from the fringe at the ninth to reach the turn four ahead.
Playing in the group ahead, Rahm converted from four feet at the 10th and chipped in from off the 13th green to cut the gap to two, with McIlroy birdieing the 14th and 16th to also get to 13 under.
Lorenzo-Vera made a 10-footer to save par at the 12th before rolling in a 20-foot birdie at the 14th to extend his advantage, as Rahm birdied the 16th and added another at the par-five last to set the clubhouse target.
With his lead down to one, Lorenzo-Vera found water off the 18th but found the green with his third shot, only to run his birdie effort six feet past the hole and miss his putt coming back to lose his outright lead.
McIlroy got up and down to save par at the 18th after finding water with his approach to stay within two of the lead, with Tommy Fleetwood a further two strokes back in fourth after a third-round 70.
A second successive 68 lifted Thomas Pieters into fifth spot ahead of last week's Nedbank Golf Challenge runner-up Marcus Kinhult, while defending champion Danny Willett is in tied-seventh alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Bernd Wiesberger's hopes of ending the season as European No 1 are out of his hands after the Race to Dubai leader posted four bogeys in a five-hole stretch on his way to a one-over 72, leaving him tied-24th and two under for the tournament.
The Austrian will now be relying on Rahm and Fleetwood to finish outside of the top-two, while Scotland's Bob MacIntyre is in pole position to win Rookie of the Year after a four-under 68 lifted him inside the top-20.
Watch the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai season live on Sunday from 6.30am on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event!
