Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship R3 leaderboard: Tommy Fleetwood sets up showdown with Rai
England's Tommy Fleetwood trails his compatriot Aaron Rai by one stroke heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
1 | Aaron Rai | -20 |
2 | Nicolai Hojgaard | -19 |
2 | Tommy Fleetwood | -19 |
4 | Ignacio Elvira | -18 |
5 | Andy Sullivan | -17 |
5 | Daniel Hillier | -17 |
7 | Richard Sterne | -16 |
8 | Shane Lowry | -15 |
8 | Alejandro Del Rey | -15 |
8 | Jordan Smith | -15 |
8 | Keita Nakajima | -15 |
Tommy Fleetwood continued his fine form with a bogey-free 67 to trail compatriot Aaaron Rai by one stroke heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Fleetwood, who has only dropped one stroke all week, eagled the seventh and put further circles on his scorecard at second, 16th and 18th to reach 19-under par.
He currently shares second place with Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard and the pair are one adrift of the world number 30.
Rai hit seven birdies on his way to a second 66 of the week, only dropping a shot on his penultimate hole of the day.
The Englishman, 30, also hit every single fairway and green in regulation on Saturday.
"I think it was a really good day of patience for me," Fleetwood told Sky Sports.
"There was a lot of good scores out there and you're playing with Aaron who played phenomenally well. He was unbelievable today in every department."
He added: "'Im 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.
"This is what we practice for. These are the times of our lives, and I'm enjoying it very much.
"[I am] just grateful for another opportunity to go out there and control what I can control. You know, hopefully I play well. If I don't, dust by myself off and go again. But yeah very excited about the prospects."
Aaron Rai extends his lead to two #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/0LMJKGwuvp
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 8, 2025
Shane Lowry is also inside the top 10 on 15-under but will need something extremely special in the final round if he is to challenge the leaders.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy moved up the leaderboard with a 66. Tyrrell Hatton hit the second-best round of the day with a superb 64.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first leg of the DP World Tour play-offs and is being contested by the top 70 in the Race to Dubai standings.
Only the top 50 in the order of merit will advance to next week's $10m finale. The aforementioned McIlroy is chasing his seventh Harry Vardon trophy.
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