Rory McIlroy is in contention to pocket a huge sum in the Middle East

Rory McIlroy is well-positioned to claim a substantial prize pot in the Middle East as he prepares for the final round of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

The Holywood golfer sits in fourth position, trailing the leader by just two strokes going into Sunday's concluding round in the Middle East. The champion will collect £1.2 million, while second place will secure £741,000.

Jon Rahm holds the outright lead following three rounds on 18-under par, with England's Tyrrell Hatton and Italy's Francesco Laporta positioned on 17-under after Saturday rounds of 67. McIlroy trails by one additional stroke.

The world number two produced an excellent second day in Abu Dhabi, maintaining his challenge ahead of the final round following a five-under third round.

He accumulated eight birdies on day three, although he'll be frustrated after a double-bogey on the 10th hole stopped him from matching Rahm at the summit of the leaderboard, reports the Irish Mirror.

The two-time Masters champion was satisfied with his bounce-back ability and told reporters: "I played some really good golf out there but I'm also a little rueful. I felt like I had some really good momentum coming off the back of the front nine.

"Just the bunker shot came out a lot faster than I anticipated, and then over the green and it was sort of dead from there. I followed another poor shot with another mistake at the third and ended up making a mess and made double.

"But I fought back and made birdies on the next four holes. So it was a good bounce back. Overall, a good day.

"If I can just limit the mistakes, there's enough good golf. There's enough birdies. There's enough opportunities. I can play a clean round of golf tomorrow, I won't be too far away."

McIlroy chose to make the trip to the United Arab Emirates, despite several players voicing safety concerns over the ongoing conflict in the region. Shane Lowry was amongst those who opted against travelling to compete in the two play-offs.

Nevertheless, McIlroy could reap substantial rewards for making the journey, as he edges closer to a eighth Race to Dubai title, which would see him pocket an additional $2 million (£1.5 million).