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RACE TO DUBAI: RORY MCILROY CO-LEADS TOURNAMENT WITH TITLE WITHIN REACH

Rory McIlroy is tied for the lead at the DP World Tour Championship. A final-round victory would secure his 7th Race to Dubai title, with only Tyrrell Hatton able to stop the Northern Irishman.

Race to Dubai: Rory McIlroy co-leads tournament with title within reach
Rory McIlroy has won six Race to Dubai titles - Photo Credit: Getty Images

With a series of late birdies on Saturday, Rory McIlroy broke through a logjam at the top of the DP World Tour Championship leaderboard, bringing him one step closer to winning a seventh Race to Dubai title.

The tournament's defending champion, McIlroy, who is trying to win the Race to Dubai championship for the fourth year in a row, ended at 13 under par, equal for first place with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark. Rounds of 68 were shot by both players.

At 12-under, six players—including Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Rasmus Hojgaard—shared third place.

The Ryder Cup-winning European team's Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose, together with Nicolai Hojgaard, finished tied for eighth at 11-under.

Hatton is the only man who can prevent McIlroy from finishing the year as Europe's top player once more, with Marco Penge tied for 36th position, nine strokes behind McIlroy. He must win the championship on Sunday and then hope McIlroy places lower than ninth for it to occur.

After having trouble with his putting for the majority of the day, McIlroy surged to the top of the pack with three birdies in the final five holes.

"The past two days seemed like wars to me. "It is good to come out and shoot two numbers in the 60s even then," McIlroy remarked.

The putter was not really cooperating, and I gave myself lots of opportunities. Nevertheless, I believe that everyone is having some difficulty on the greens this week based on my conversations with many of the men in the locker room. They simply become a little crusty at the end of the day and are difficult to read.

However, I maintained as much patience as I could and understood that, given my length, I should take advantage of the two par 5s and the short par 4 on the 15th hole, which is exactly what I accomplished today.

"To come in here and play, or score well, maybe not play my best, but keep myself right up there in contention, one final push tomorrow to try to end the season the way I feel it deserves to be ended." "I had a 16-under week in Abu Dhabi last week."

McIlroy's "very outstanding" round

Playing in the lead group alongside his countryman Nicolai Hojgaard, Neergaard-Petersen began the day with a bogey on the first hole but played steadily the rest of the way to add five birdies to his card.

I am really happy with that round. The 26-year-old said, "I feel like I hit a lot of decent shots from there. I think I managed to stay pretty patient and obviously not getting off to the best of starts."

Tomorrow, I can not wait to play with Rory. I am eager. It will be quite special to play with him here in the last group on a Sunday because I have never done so before."

Hatton, who closed the gap on McIlroy with seven birdies in his 67, stated: "Today's round has given me a chance. I am going to try to organise another enjoyable game of golf and see what happens."

In addition to the $10 million prize pool, which is the largest on the European circuit, the top 10 players will also get a portion of a $6 million bonus pool at the conclusion of the season. McIlroy would receive a $5 million check if he were to win both tournaments.

JJ REDICK ADDRESSES RUI HACHIMURA ABSENCE; JAKE LARAVIA EXPECTED TO START FOR LAKERS

Rui Hachimura is out with calf soreness. Discover how JJ Redick plans to stop the Pistons on LeBron James’ 41st birthday.

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ESPN Confirms Rui Hachimura Out

Los Angeles Lakers' coach JJ Redick was seen on the court during a timeout in their game against the Sacramento Kings on December 28, 2025.

The Lakers are having a rough time with injuries. Austin Reaves is out for a month with a calf strain, and now Rui Hachimura is also sidelined.

According to ESPN, Hachimura has calf soreness and won't play against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Gabe Vincent has been out with his back issue since December 14. The only good news is that Jaxson Hayes, who had an ankle sprain, is back.

So, Hachimura is out tomorrow with a calf problem.

Lakers Injury Report vs. Pistons

With Hachimura out, coach Redick will probably start Jake LaRavia. LaRavia has been scoring around 10 points and grabbing 6 boards as a starter. He's been okay as a wing player. He is not the shooter everyone was expecting, but he is not bad; he can play both forward positions.

The Lakers have had a ton of injuries this year, forcing Redick to use a bunch of different starting lineups. Reaves' injury hit Redick hard, since he's a big fan.

Redick said he feels bad for Reaves, especially since it's a longer-term injury.

More Time for Nick Smith Jr.?

With Hachimura out, Nick Smith Jr. might get more minutes. He was great in the win against the Kings.

Even though Marcus Smart started in place of Reaves, Smith really benefited, taking 14 shots in 25 minutes off the bench. He scored 21 points, with five 3-pointers. Smith said he's ready for more chances.

Smith said he's just trying to take it one day at a time, especially since he's on a two-way contract. He wants to be ready whenever he gets the call, and he was ready last game.

He also added that he is in a space where he is just locked in right now.

The Lakers (20-10) are underdogs against the Pistons (24-8) on Tuesday, even though they're at home. It's also LeBron James' 41st birthday, so it's a big game.

LUKE LITTLER BLASTS "DISRESPECTFUL" ALLY PALLY CROWD AFTER TENSE ROB CROSS VICTORY

Luke Littler sparked controversy at Ally Pally by mocking fans' ticket purchases after being booed during his win over Rob Cross.

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Littler Fires Back At Booing Fans

Luke Littler got booed during his match with Rob Cross this Monday at the World Darts Championship, and he fired back at the crowd. The 18-year-old wrapped up a 4-2 win against his rival to get to the quarter-finals.

Littler became a fan favorite after his unlikely run to the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace two years back, when he was only 16. But some folks in north London on Monday seemed tired of his success and tried to rattle the teen in an attempt to make the match last. And he didn’t deal with the boos well.

Right after his win, Littler told the crowd, "I'm not bothered [by the booing]." Really not bothered. You guys pay for tickets, and you pay for my prize, so thanks for booing me. No one wanted me to win, but I proved them wrong yet again.”

Then, during the press conference afterwards, he walked it back, saying, “I think I lost it (his temper). I think it's still on there (the stage). The fans have done what they've done, and I've reacted as any other player would, really.”

Usually, Littler gets a lot of love from the Ally Pally crowd; a lot of fans have started watching darts just because of how fast he rose to fame at the end of 2023. But now this talented player may have caused himself a new issue with his outburst.

Some darts fans won't like that he mentioned how much money he's making during this World Championship season.

Others might think he should've taken the boos with a smile. People at Ally Pally are usually loud as hell whenever they're there.

And some will feel Littler showed he can be rattled by a few shouts.

No matter what darts fans think, Littler didn't do himself any favors with what he said on stage. He needs to get the fans back on his side so they don't turn on him for good.

If he doesn’t, fans might make things rough on him every time he plays, which is new territory for the teenager.

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