• Fleetwood two shots behind DP World Tour Championship leader Rose • Order of merit winner will be settled between the two on Sunday

The European Tour has been afforded the season ending climax marketeers dream of. Whoever prevails between Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose in the Race to Dubai, as will be determined over 18 holes at the Earth Course on Sunday, this has been a thrilling duel. The only disappointment for neutral onlookers is that Fleetwood and Rose will not play together in the final round of the DP World Tour Championship.

Rose stood in the middle of the 18th fairway here on Saturday afternoon with the order merit crown in his grasp. He held a single-shot lead over Dylan Frittelli and, crucially with the Race to Dubai in mind, one of two strokes over Fleetwood. The 26-year-old from Southport had earlier played his closing 11 holes in eight under par for a second successive 65. Fleetwood’s recovery from a day one 73 has been typical of his season-long approach.

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Rose, in keeping with the gripping nature of this contest, was to find the water when seeking to reach the final green in two and thereby extend his lead. From there, the 2007 order of merit winner – who is seeking a third tournament win in succession – admirably scrambled a par to remain at 15 under. Nonetheless, Fleetwood still has Rose in his sights.

“Above all, whether I win it or not, or whether Justin wins it, one of us will have deserved it,” said Fleetwood. “It’s been an absolute pleasure trying to win a Race to Dubai, coming down these last few events and especially this week. The week could have gone not quite as how I wanted it, not being in contention or anything. So, last day of the season and I’ve got a chance to win the Race to Dubai, it’s cool.

“It’s been really enjoyable getting those low rounds going, seeing a few putts go in, hitting some great shots. It’s an enjoyable golf course that way, because if you’re playing well, days like today, scoring is so good; there’s a lot of guys shooting under par.

“So it’s great to watch and it’s great to play in the middle of it all, especially when you have a bit of momentum. It’s just very, very enjoyable and hopefully we can keep it going.

“Sunday will be nothing close to the biggest day of my life but in my career, it is. You have to enjoy these moments. This is what you practice for and this is what you play for. It’s brilliant, isn’t it? It makes me smile.”

On a third round day in which the course setup was noticeably generous, Frittelli’s 63 matched the lowest score of the week. Jon Rahm’s 65 placed him alongside the South African at 14 under par.