Hojgaard leads World Tour Championship with McIlroy among Ryder Cup stars in pursuit

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nicolai Hojgaard moved into position to win the season-ending World Tour Championship for a second time by taking a three-stroke lead on Friday, though a slew of Europe's Ryder Cup stars were well placed to pounce.

The chasing pack included Rory McIlroy, whose brilliant short game salvaged a 69 in the second round that kept him on track to capture a fourth straight year-long Race to Dubai title for being Europe's No. 1 player.

McIlroy was tied for second place in a five-man group that included Justin Rose (67) and Shane Lowry (67). Fellow Ryder Cuppers Robert MacIntrye (67) and Tommy Fleetwood (71) were a further stroke back and Tyrrell Hatton (67) one more shot adrift.

They were all looking up at the 70th-ranked Hojgaard, who didn't make the Ryder Cup team this time — that honor fell to his twin brother, Rasmus — but is showing a reminder of his ability at the Earth Course this week.

The 24-year-old Dane shot 65, the low round of the day, to back up his opening 67 and was 12 under for the week. Hojgaard won the tournament in 2023, didn't qualify for it last year, but is dominating a star-studded field on his return.

His only other 36-hole lead on the European tour was at the World Tour Championship two years ago. That remains his last win, too.

“It's one of my favorite tournaments to play," Hojgaard said. "It's great to be back in a bit of form.

“It suits my eye. It plays into my strengths, which is mid-irons. It's just a really good fit for me.”

McIlroy mixed six birdies with three bogeys on a day when he was poor by his standards off the tee but his wedge play was magical.

“I felt like I showed my scoring skills today, and battled well and stayed patient, and got the ball up and down when I needed to,” McIlroy said. “And overall, to shoot 69, I’m pretty pleased considering some of the spots that I found myself.”

Alongside McIlroy, Lowry and Rose in a tie for second was Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (67) and Daniel Hillier (68).

Only Marco Penge and Hatton — second and third in the Race to Dubai standings, respectively — can overhaul McIlroy this week. Penge (70) appears out of it in 44th place, 12 shots off the lead, so only Hatton can realistically stop the Northern Irishman.

Hatton, who is five behind Hojgaard, needs to win and for McIlroy to finish worse than tied for eighth with one other.

“You start every tournament week trying to win the tournament,” said Hatton, who plays on the breakaway LIV Golf circuit. “It’s kind of no different. I know I need results to go my way if that was to happen. I’m not really thinking about it too much. Just trying to play better.”

Fleetwood started the second round in second place, one stroke behind Michael Kim, and had a frustrating day with the putter. He made one eagle — at the par-5 No. 2 — along with 16 pars and one bogey.

That dropped shot ended a remarkable run of 69 holes without a bogey, stretching back to the 15th hole of the second round in Abu Dhabi last week when he lost in a playoff to Aaron Rai.

Kim shot 76, having opened with a 64.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tommy Fleetwood of England squats as he waits for his turn on 5th green during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks on the 5th fairway during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark reacts after a birdie on the 5th hole during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark lines up a putt on the 5th green during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)