Chacarra plots weekend fightback to stop McIlroy from Race to Dubai history
Eugenio Chacarra remains optimistic about chasing down Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship and denying his bid for a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title.
Rory McIlroy heads into the weekend projected to move above Eugenio Chacarra in the Race to Dubai standings; McIlroy shares the halfway lead at the DP World Tour Championship, with Chacarra four back; watch live on Saturday from 7am on Sky Sports Golf
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Eugenio Chacarra remains optimistic about chasing down Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship and denying his bid for a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title.
McIlroy, starting the week behind Chacarra in the standings, needs to finish inside the top four to have any chance of winning the Harry Vardon Trophy for a fifth successive season and match Colin Montgomerie's tally of Order of Merit titles.
The world No 2 posted a second-round 70 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to share the halfway lead on five under with England's Tyrrell Hatton, leaving McIlroy firm favourite to win the season-ending event for a fourth time.
McIlroy currently sits top of the projected Race to Dubai standings and his fast start is no surprise to Chacarra, who delivered a birdie-birdie finish to sit four strokes back and remain in contention for his fourth victory of the season.
"It's just what it is - I knew it [McIlroy impressing] was going to happen," Chacarra admitted after a one-under 71. "It's one of the favourite courses of Rory and he's had so much success here.
"He is obviously one of the best players in the world, so we know it's going to be tough.
"I still have two days. I'm happy with that finish I needed [to second round]. I like how I'm hitting it - there's been a lot of birdies in harder conditions. If I can clean up the card a little, I like my chance on the weekend.
" I can control what I can control. If Rory comes here and wins the tournament, he's a deserved champion - there's nothing I can really do. I'm going to try to win the tournament."
Nine players entered with a mathematical chance of still winning the Race to Dubai title but Jon Rahm and Jayden Schaper - outside of McIlroy and Chacarra - are the only others not over-par at the halfway stage.
"I'm making really good swings," said Rahm. "I'm playing really good golf."
The Spaniard needs to win the tournament, have McIlroy finish outside the top two and see Chacarra place worse than eighth to claim the Race to Dubai title.
"All we can do is keep putting good swings in and I feel like I've done that and hit a lot of good putts. Hopefully I start hitting them [approaches] a little closer on the weekend."
McIlroy stepped onto the 12th tee with a two-shot lead after four early birdies on Friday afternoon, only to bogey three of his next six holes before moving alongside Hatton by taking advantage of the par-five last.
"I played very solidly for those first 11 holes and then the 12th felt like the first time I'd really put myself out of position," McIlroy said. "Once you put yourself out of position on this golf course, this setup, these conditions, it starts to get very, very difficult.
"If you miss a fairway, or even if you miss a green, the lies around the greens aren't very good - it's very, very tricky once you get yourself out of position. Easy to make bogeys, but it was nice to at least birdie the last and feel like I salvaged the day a little bit.
"If anything, I started to get frustrated with the golf course. As it dries out, lies and fairways aren't very good and greens start to get bumpy. I started to get maybe a little bit frustrated with the course on the way in, but I think it's just the nature of it.
"I've won four times down the road at Emirates [Golf Club, Dubai Desert Classic] and it would be nice to win four times here, so I want to win the tournament.
"If I win the tournament, that's all I can do. It doesn't really matter what any of the other guys do, or if they play well enough. If I go and I win the first trophy on Sunday, then the second trophy should take care of itself."
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