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11/08 08:14 CST Rai leads by one shot from Hojgaard and Fleetwood heading into
final round in Abu Dhabi
Rai leads by one shot from Hojgaard and Fleetwood heading into final round in
Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) --- Aaron Rai will take a one-stroke lead
into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship as he seeks a first title on
the European tour in five years.
On a low-scoring day at Yas Links, Rai shot 6-under 66 in the third round
Saturday to move to 20-under par for the week in the next-to-last event of the
2025 season.
Nicolai Hojgaard (65) and Tommy Fleetwood (67), the winner in 2017 and 2018
when the event was held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, were tied for second place and
Nacho Elvira (65) was a shot further back.
No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy, the leader of the season-long Race to Dubai
standings, surged toward contention with six birdies in his first 11 holes but
his round stalled down the stretch as the wind picked up and he posted a 66 for
14 under, six strokes off the lead.
Rai's second and most recent win on the European tour came in 2020 at the
Scottish Open. The 30th-ranked Englishman won the Wyndham Championship on the
PGA Tour in August last year.
"This is one of the biggest events we have on the DP World Tour," Rai said. "To
win this week, to have a chance going into the weekend, is great. Still a long
way to go and a lot of really good players."
He birdied five holes on his front nine and picked up more shots on Nos. 11 and
14 before three-putting for bogey at the 17th and parring the par-5 18th.
Likely Rai's biggest threat is Fleetwood, whose end to the season has included
winning the Tour Championship for his first PGA Tour title --- and picking up
$10 million as the FedEx Cup champion, too --- as well as the India
Championship and starring for Europe in its Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black.
"I'm playing very good golf at the moment and I've found myself in this
position a lot throughout the summer, but never take it for granted," Fleetwood
said. "This is what we practice for. These are the times of our lives, and I'm
enjoying it very much."
Fleetwood said Rai "played phenomenally well."
"He was unbelievable today in every department," he said.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
