A relative surprise leads the star-studded DP World Tour Championship 2024 rankings with two rounds of action on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Estates. Antoine Rozner is one ahead of Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton and two ahead of Joaquin Niemann after a second-round score of 65 catapulted him to 9 under for the tournament. Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Rasmus Højgaard are just a handful away from them in the top 10.
Unlike the triumvirate that pursues him, Rozner seeks more than just another trophy; A win would also secure one of the 10 PGA Tour cards up for grabs and push the Frenchman into second place in the final Race to Dubai standings. Meanwhile, McIlroy appears to be well on his way to another victory of the season as he has opened up a seven-shot lead over his only competitor Thirston Lawrence, who is tied for 34th.
“Confidence has been pretty high in the last few months,” said Rozner. “Apart from the last two weeks, Korea and Abu Dhabi, I struggled to put it all together. But no, I just think the confidence has clicked and everything is going in the right direction. We also do a really good job with my caddy.” . Yes, it is key and the margins are very slim in this game. Sometimes it works that way and sometimes it doesn't.
Rozner's 65 came with ease, unlike McIlroy and Hatton's attempts in the last pairing. The Ryder Cup teammates shared the lead overnight and had different starts, although both ended up posting rounds of 69. The Northern Irishman was the first to strike a blow as four birdies in his first seven holes lifted his tournament score to 9 under.
Hatton slipped out of the gate, was over par after five holes and was up to four shots behind his playing partner. From there, the Englishman began stringing together strong golf shots and birdies as four circles were noted on his scorecard over the next 13 holes, coinciding with two birdies and two bogeys from McIlroy on the same stretch.
“I'm a little disappointed I didn't keep going after such a great start, 4 under to 7,” McIlroy said. “I just started missing a few fairways around the corner, and not by much, but the rough is so thick and you lose control of the golf ball when you hit it in there. I hit the fairway three holes in a row and made two bogeys, 8, 9 and 10. I steadied the ship a little, but on 14 and 15 we missed a few chances.”
The reason for McIlroy's immobility was a left error, which is nothing new for the Northern Irishman in 2024. The 35-year-old, who has struggled since his season opener in these parts in January, will need to rise above the weekend if he wants to win his fourth tournament of the year.
“I feel so comfortable in this place and have had success before,” McIlroy said. “So I assume my chances for the weekend are good.”