McIlroy and Hatton tied as Chacarra stays in hunt

Rory McIlroy and England's Tyrrell Hatton are tied at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway mark of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, according to the BBC. McIlroy followed a three-under opening 69 with a 70 to reach five under par, while Hatton shot a 69 mixing five birdies and two bogeys. Overnight leader Joost Luiten carded a 73 to lie one shot back alongside Norway's Kristoffer Reitan at four under par. McIlroy is chasing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title, which would match Colin Montgomerie's record haul of eight season-long crowns. The BBC reported that McIlroy sits four shots ahead of Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra, who birdied his final two holes to finish one under par after three wins earlier this season. World number two McIlroy stated, according to the BBC, "I think it's been a bit eye-opening to see the scoring the first two days," and added that players must reframe what constitutes a good score due to the tough course set-up and wind. Hatton, the world number 23, is hunting his ninth DP World Tour victory and his first since leaving LIV Golf, having finished second behind Jon Rahm in Abu Dhabi the previous week. Hatton noted that wind conditions made club selection difficult on the back nine, explaining that "the wind was sort of moving round just enough that it goes from slightly off the right to then more down." South Africa's Jayden Schaper and Spain's two-time major winner Jon Rahm are placed at two under par, both remaining in contention to clinch the Race to Dubai. Meanwhile, Patrick Reed's hopes of lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy suffered a blow after the 2018 Masters champion followed an opening 75 with a 77 to drop to eight over par. McIlroy and Hatton are scheduled to play together in Saturday's final pairing at 08:40 GMT, with live text updates of the final round planned on the BBC Sport website and app on Sunday.