Overview
- Nicolai Hojgaard fired a bogey‑free 65 to reach 12 under and lead by three at the DP World Tour Championship after two rounds.
- Rory McIlroy carded a 69 to join a tie for second at nine under alongside Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Rasmus Neergaard‑Petersen and Daniel Hillier.
- Tyrrell Hatton shot 67 to move to seven under in a tie for 11th; he must win the event and have McIlroy finish worse than tied eighth with one other to claim the season title.
- Marco Penge sits tied 44th at level par after rounds of 74 and 70, leaving his slim mathematical chance of overtaking McIlroy highly unlikely based on current positions.
- With 2,000 Race to Dubai points and a $10 million purse on offer, McIlroy remains on track for a fourth straight and seventh overall European No. 1 season.