Rory McIlroy trails by one at halfway stage of DP World Tour Championship

By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent

France’s Antoine Rozner claimed the halfway lead in the DP World Tour Championship after Rory McIlroy failed to build on a flying start in Dubai.

McIlroy shared the overnight lead after an opening 67 and birdied four of the first seven holes on Friday, but played the remaining 11 in one over par to finish eight under alongside playing partner Tyrrell Hatton.

Rozner’s superb, bogey-free 65 gave him a one-shot lead on nine under as he bids to win a fourth DP World Tour title.

“A little disappointed that I didn’t kick on after such a great start, four under through seven, feeling like I was in total control of what I was doing,” McIlroy said.

“Then I just started to miss a few fairways around the turn. When you start missing fairways, the way the course is set up this week, you’re going to start to struggle.

“So I made two bogeys in the next three holes. Steadied the ship a little bit but felt like I let a couple of chances slip by on 14 and 15. But played the last three holes well.

“It was nice to finish with a birdie and at least shoot something in the 60s after the start that I had.

“My comfort level around this place, it’s always been there ever since the first time we played back in 2009. But yeah, the course is set up different.

“I need to do a better job of hitting the fairways. I did for the first few holes, and then I let it slip a bit. I started to miss the driver a bit left in the middle of the round.

“If I can hit fairways out here, then the greens are very receptive and you give yourself plenty of chances. I’m so comfortable around this place and I’ve had success before. So I’m liking my chances going into the weekend.”

Rozner, whose first DP World Tour title came on the other course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, made two birdies on the front nine and five more in the space of seven holes from the 10th to record the lowest round of the week so far.

“It’s one of those days where everything goes in and I had a ton of fun out there,” Rozner said.

“Before the last two weeks, Korea and Abu Dhabi, I was struggling to get everything together, but I just think the confidence clicked and everything is going the right way.

“The margins are very small in this game, so sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Today was one of them [where it does].”

Hatton admitted he remained frustrated with his game despite making just one bogey in his 69 and could be heard saying he “despised” the 18th hole after laying up with his second shot on the par five.

“Taking the positives from two days where I don’t feel like I’ve played the kind of golf I’m capable of, and we’re one shot off the lead going into the weekend,” Hatton said.

“Hopefully I can find something and hit it a little bit better. That would make this weekend a little bit more exciting for me.”