Ex-LIV Golf rebel Jon Rahm hits front on day three at Abu Dhabi Championship
Jon Rahm leads the way at the Abu Dhabi Championship following another solid round at Yas Links while there are plenty of hopefuls including Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton in contention to win.
Jon Rahm will take a narrow one-shot lead over his former LIV Golf teammate Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Rory McIlroy also remains in contention at Yas Links just two shots off the pace, with the Northern Irishman intent on a big finish as he looks to make yet more DP World Tour history.
Rahm, who has found himself at the centre of attention following the collapse of LIV Golf, now has a wonderful chance to return to the winner’s circle on the DP World Tour.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a stellar week thus far, but with Hatton, Laporta and McIlroy lurking, he will need to carry this form into Sunday.
Rahm went through the first nine at 1-under, but turned on the style between the 10th and 15th at Yas Links.
Birdies at 10 and 12 bookended a stunning eagle at 11, before he reclaimed the outright lead on 15 after draining a 20ft birdie putt.
That 66 means Rahm heads into Sunday carrying plenty of momentum and that can stand him in good stead ahead of next week.
Rory McIlroy remains firmly in contention in Abu Dhabi
McIlroy will prove to be one of the biggest threats to Rahm tomorrow, sitting just two shots off the pace.
It has been an eventful week at Yas Links for the Northern Irishman. On Thursday, he received a two-shot penalty as officials deemed he improved his lie on the 12th, leading to a quadruple 8.
On Friday, however, McIlroy rebounded by carding an impressive round of 63, featuring 11 birdies as he vaulted up the leaderboard.
He only registered eight birdies in his third round, but a double-bogey at 10 and another dropped shot at the 17th means he trails Rahm by two and he admitted it will take something special to win on Sunday.
"There are low ones [scores] out there and I am going to have to shoot a low one - something in the mid to low 60s - to get it done tomorrow and that will be the goal," said McIlroy.
Abu Dhabi Championship 2026 – Leaderboard after Round Three
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Rahm | -18 |
| T2 | Tyrrell Hatton | -17 |
| T2 | Francesco Laporta | -17 |
| 4 | Rory McIlroy | -16 |
| 5 | Adam Scott | -15 |
| T6 | David Puig | -14 |
| T6 | Matthew Jordan | -14 |
| T8 | Nathan Kimsey | -12 |
| T8 | Jayden Schaper | -12 |
| T8 | Daniel Hillier | -12 |
| T8 | Sam Bairstow | -12 |
| T8 | Bernd Wiesberger | -12 |
| T8 | Adrian Meronk | -12 |
Another positive for the defending Masters champion is that he is projected to move up to second on the Race to Dubai standings. Patrick Reed currently sits in a tie for 51st heading into round four, while order of merit leader, Eugenio Chacarra, is sitting in a tie for 29th.
A victory for McIlroy here would cut into that gap at the top quite nicely as he chases a maiden win at the Abu Dhabi Championship, along with a record-equaling eighth order of merit crown too.
Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta chasing Jon Rahm
Although McIlroy is the obvious threat to Rahm’s chances of winning tomorrow, both Hatton and Laporta only trail the two-time major champion by a stroke.
The Englishman went briefly level with Rahm after holing a birdie putt at the 14th, but his 67 is good enough to feature in the final group on Sunday.
Laporta began the week with a sublime round of 62 and he remains in contention for a maiden DPWT title, carding a bogey-free 67.
Adam Scott trails by three after yet another bogey-free round, while Matthew Jordan and David Puig sit on 14-under, with the trio well in the mix to make things interesting during the final round.
