Rory McIlroy fights back with 68 in Dubai

World number two Rory McIlroy got his title defence back on track in the DP World Tour Championship, but admitted he will still need help from elsewhere to claim a fourth victory of the season.

Shane Lowry also sits well back of the lead after a 71 left him on three under and tied 17th.

Pádraig Harrington matched the efforts of the Offalyman to go into the third round two shots further back on one under.

McIlroy has won the European Tour’s season-finale twice and never finished worse than 11th in seven appearances at Jumeirah Golf Estates, but struggled to an opening 75 on Thursday, his first over-par score in the event.

That meant a nine-shot deficit to overnight leader Lee Westwood and an early start on Friday alongside Ryder Cup partner Andy Sullivan, the man he edged out in a thrilling final round 12 months ago.

And although a second round of 68 — completed an hour before the final group was due to tee off — got the four-time major winner into red figures at one under par, McIlroy was realistic about his chances.

“I have to wait and see what the guys do this afternoon,” McIlroy said after a round containing six birdies and two bogeys. “I guess if I’m within eight or nine shots going into the weekend, I still feel like I have a decent chance.

“But it all depends on what Lee and the guys do this afternoon. If I’m too far back, then I don’t think I’ll be able to make up that much ground. But if I can keep improving each and every day, then I might not be too far away at the end of the week.

“Yesterday was just one of those days. I was mentally very flat, still in holiday mode and not quite switched on to what I needed to do. I sort of turned it around today and hopefully can do the same over the weekend.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton had set the clubhouse target of seven under par which was matched by former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, who played his last five holes in five under thanks to eagles on the 14th and 18th and a birdie on the 16th.

Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Holland’s Joost Luiten were also seven under out on the course, four birdies in 11 holes giving Garcia the outright lead before he dropped his first shot of the day on the 13th.

Race to Dubai rivals Henrik Stenson and Danny Willett were both on three under after rounds of 69 and 70 respectively, although Stenson was more concerned with the well-being of a female spectator hit on the head by his tee shot on the 13th.

“It was a very unfortunate circumstance,” Stenson said. “I flared my five-iron right and I’m standing there thinking ‘Is it going in the bunker or flying over the bunker,‘ and next thing I see it go into the crowd and hit someone.

“It was actually a mishit up into the wind. It went further than the pin number, so something was quirky there.

“Unfortunately I hit the lady and she went down. But I had some reports later in the round that she was doing okay. I’m just making sure that we’re going to get her details so I can send her something nice.”