Aaron Rai will take a slender one-shot lead into the final round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, as he chases his first DP World Tour title in five years.

The Englishman, who shared the halfway lead with compatriot and Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood, surged ahead in perfect scoring conditions on Saturday to top the leaderboard at 20-under-par after a classy six-under 66.

Rai, whose last Tour victory came in Scotland in 2020, is now within reach of doubling his tally of Rolex Series titles if he can hold firm on Sunday at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.

He produced a sparkling front nine of 31, picking up five shots before adding birdies on the 11th and 14th holes. His only blemish came on the 17th, trimming what was briefly a three-shot cushion over the field.

Fleetwood and Nicolai Højgaard sit just one stroke behind at 19-under. Fleetwood carded an impressive 67 that included an eagle and three birdies, while Højgaard posted one of the best rounds of the day, a 65 featuring eight birdies and just one bogey.

Spain's Nacho Elvira followed closely at 18-under after closing with back-to-back birdies, while Andy Sullivan (England) and Daniel Hillier (New Zealand) share fifth at 17-under.

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

“The wind definitely picked up for us on the back nine. Yeah, it played tricky out there, especially the back nine. I think, as cliché as it sounds, you've got to try to stick to how you see the course, and if you play well, there are a lot of opportunities that naturally present themselves.

“'But again, you have to be cautious,” he added.“I think if you get too aggressive, if you put your foot down too much, it can also bite you really fast. When the scores are as low as they are, if you drop one or two shots, it really feels like you're moving backwards.”

Rai added that winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship would be“special,” calling it“one of the biggest events on the DP World Tour.”

“To win this week, to have a chance going into the weekend, is great. Still a long way to go and a lot of really good players. Yeah, we'll give it our best and see how it comes,' he concluded.

The quality of the golf on a course that was in mint condition and with barely a breeze all day was illustrated by the stat that only two players in the field shot over par in round three.

The tee times for the final day (tomorrow) sees play in three-balls from 7.02 am, with the leaders out last at 11.25 am with the final group of Fleetwood, Hojgaard, and Rai.

Round Three Leaders (Par 72, 7,425 yards)

• Aaron Rai (ENG) 66 – 64 – 66 = 196 (-20)

• Nicolai Højgaard (DEN) 65 – 67 – 65 = 197 (-19)

• Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 64 – 66 – 67 = 197 (-19)

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