Overview
- Aaron Rai carded a six-under 66 with seven birdies and a lone bogey at 17 to reach 20 under after three rounds.
- Tommy Fleetwood posted a bogey-free 67 with an eagle, and Nicolai Hojgaard shot 65; both closed with birdies to sit one back at 19 under.
- Nacho Elvira is at 18 under after a birdie-birdie finish, with Andy Sullivan and Daniel Hillier at 17 under in the chasing pack.
- Rory McIlroy shot a 66 to move to 14 under, six off the lead, as he protects his advantage in the season-long Race to Dubai over Marco Penge.
- The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first of two DP World Tour playoff events, with the top 70 playing this week and the leading 50 advancing to Dubai on a course yielding low scores.