Record-chasing Rory McIlroy is back to where he started the week in the Race to Dubai title battle after seeing Eugenio Chacarra regain top spot in the points list heading into the final 18 holes of the season.

After sharing the lead at the halfway stage in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Northern Ireland’s seven-time Race to Dubai crown winner had jumped above the Spaniard in the projected standings.

When he rolled in an eagle putt at the par-5 seventh on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the third round on Saturday, McIlroy was still on course to equal Colin Montgomerie’s record for Harry Vardon Trophy triumphs.

However, it then turned into a disappointing day for the Holywood man, both in terms of trying to win the season finale for the fourth time and also his bid to finish as the DP World Tour No 1 again.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy keeps focus on his shot against a stunning Earth Course backdrop in Dubai during day three of the DP World Tour Championship. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

From leading on his own on seven under, McIlroy quickly fell four shots behind playing partner Tyrrell Hatton as the Englishman birdied the ninth and 10th and McIlroy followed his first eagle of the week by dropping three shots in a row from eighth.

After a majestic drive and approach at the par-5 18th, the back-to-back Masters champion had a six-footer for another eagle but had to settle for a closing birdie.

In signing for a level-par 72 on a day when most players in the 50-man field were carding sub-par scores, McIlroy slipped to a share of fourth spot on five under - four shots behind Hatton following his 68.

With Chacarra, who is bidding to become just the third Spaniard after Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm to win the Race to Dubai, shooting a 68 that included nine birdies to sit alongside McIlroy, the 26-year-old is now leading the projected points list by 534 points once more.

It’s still not an impossible goal for the world No 2 but, even if he goes low in the closing circuit, it might not be good enough if Chacarra also has a good last day of the season.

“I just want to win the tournament and I’m not far away,” declared the game’s new Spanish star. “I know if I win the tournament, I will win the ranking. That's what I wanted to do in Abu Dhabi (venue for the first of two big-money Play-Offs in the UAE) and I want to do it here.

“That's what we prepare for and I'm going to have a chance on Sunday. That's what we dreamed of since I was little - to win big events - and I'm going to have a chance.”

Hatton, a five-time Rolex Series winner, has a sixth success in his sights after carding an eagle and four birdies to move into a one-shot lead over Frenchman Victor Perez.

“I know tomorrow is going to be a tough day,” said Hatton, a two-time runner-up in this event. “I've got enough experience down these last few holes to know that anything can happen.

"So, yeah, I'll just go out tomorrow and try my best. I know I can play well around here, and that's what I'll try to do.”

The highest he can finish in the Race to Dubai battle is second while Hatton is ineligible for the 10 PGA Tour cards up for grabs on the points list due to having been a LIV Golf player this season.