McIlroy takes one-shot lead into DP World Tour Championship final day

On a warm Saturday evening in Dubai, Rory McIlroy stood over a nine-foot putt on the 18th green and chose not to flinch. The four-time major champion, who has long carried the weight of expectation, carded a resilient 67 at the DP World Tour Championship to claim a one-shot lead heading into the final round — a narrow margin, but one earned through the kind of composed recovery that defines players who know how to win. The season-ending European Tour event now arrives at its decisive moment, with McIlroy seeking not merely a trophy, but confirmation of a return to the form that once made him t