Where to watch the DP World Tour Championship
Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7am Friday
Best bets
Ludvig Aberg to win 7.35am twoball & Rory McIlroy to win 8.20am twoball
3pts double 23-10 bet365
Rasmus Hojgaard to win 7.15am twoball
2pts 4-5 bet365
DP World Tour Championship third-round predictions
Nicolai Hojgaard, the 16-1 pre-tournament recommendation of Racing Post Sport’s Steve Palmer, has hit the front at the halfway stage of the DP World Tour Championship.
The Dane, who triumphed at Dubai’s Earth Course two years ago, followed a first-round 67 with a sublime bogey-free 65 to open up a three-shot lead through 36 holes of the DP World Tour season finale.
Hojgaard is a best-priced 5-2 to maintain his lead through the weekend, but he’ll be aware of the looming presence of Rory McIlroy, who shares second place with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Daniel Hillier.
McIlroy was not at his best in the second round, opening with a bogey before completing the first six holes in level par, but he battled to a three-under-par 69, including a gutsy par at the par-five 18th. Better can be expected from the three-time Earth Course champion when he tees off alongside Hillier at 8.20am GMT on Saturday.
The Northern Irishman’s presence could unsettle Hillier, as seemed to be the case for Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who carded a 74 when playing alongside McIlroy in round two. The Kiwi’s shaky short game could be exposed.
Double up McIlroy with his Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg, who is made for the Earth Course and should continue to make progress on the leaderboard over the weekend.
Aberg opened with a level-par 72 in his first competitive round at the Earth Course on Thursday, but improved with a second-round 66.
He should outgun John Parry, who is not as well suited to the Dubai layout.
Rasmus Hojgaard is seven shots adrift of his twin brother after some sloppy mistakes over the first 36 holes, but he should also pick up the pace over the closing two rounds.
A runner-up last year, Hojgaard has fired nine consecutive under-par rounds at the Earth Course, and he can outscore Keita Nakajima, who has leaned heavily on his putter to grind out scores of 70 and 69 over the first two days.
Read this next:
Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 predictions, odds and tips: Rematch could reach a decisive conclusion
England vs New Zealand: rugby union predictions, team news, betting tips and odds
Liechtenstein vs Wales predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder
Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.
