Rai takes slim lead into final round of Abu Dhabi C'ship

Aaron Rai will take a narrow one-shot lead into the final round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he goes in search of his first DP World Tour title in five years.

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The Englishman shared the halfway lead with countryman Tommy Fleetwood on 14 under par but put his foot to the floor in perfect scoring conditions on Saturday to hit the front on his own.

Rai's last DP World Tour win came in Scotland in 2020, and he would double his tally of Rolex Series victories if he were to triumph at Yas Links on Sunday.

Rai turned in 31 after picking up five shots on the front nine before adding further birdies at the 11th and 14th, with his only bogey of the day coming on the 17th.

He had led by three during the closing stages of his round but a late bogey and strong finishes from the chasing pack ate into his advantage.

His third-round 66 sees him go into Sunday's fourth round on 20 under par, one clear of nearest challengers Fleetwood and Nicolai Højgaard.

"A really good round overall," said Rai. "Drove it extremely well. Some really good iron play. Created a lot chances. Felt like I rolled it really well on the greens. A lot of putts had a good chance of going in.