Rory McIlroy has work to do to win the money title

b1209dubaiThe Race to Dubai has come down to, well, Dubai, and while the money title is still up in the air, it's starting to become more clear.

Luke Donald has €3.9 million in earnings, while Rory McIlroy is at about €3.1 million. (We could convert it to dollars, but would it matter?) To catch Donald, McIlroy has to win the tournament. Flat-out win. He also needs Donald to finish no higher than ninth.

So far, Donald is holding up his end of the make-this-interesting bargain. After two rounds, he sits eight strokes off the lead posted by Alvaro Quiros (-12). Quiros sits four strokes clear of the field, in part because of an eagle he notched on 18 to finish with a 64.

Unfortunately for McIlroy, that eagle left him five strokes off the lead, tied for third at -7. That's not insurmountable by any means, but it'll require Quiros to come back to the field and McIlroy to make one of his charges.

Can it be done? Tune into the Golf Channel starting at 3 a.m. Eastern to find out. Put a pot of coffee on!