DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES • Matt Wallace of England made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole and didn’t stop until he birdied the rest of them, tying a European tour best with nine birdies in a row for a 12-under 60 that shot him into the lead Saturday in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

“That was fun,” Wallace said as he walked off the 18th green on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Even better was the 54-hole lead when Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and 36-hole leader Nicolai Hojgaard couldn’t catch him.

Wallace hit the ball so purely down the stretch that his final six birdie putts covered a total of 15 feet, 8 inches (nearly 5 meters). He finished at 16-under 200 and led by one shot over Fleetwood and Hovland, who each had a 66.

“An amazing day. Just tried my hardest to get myself back into the tournament,” said Wallace, who started the day seven shots behind. “I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that.”

Fleetwood got off to a hot start with five birdies in seven holes, slowed in the middle, and then came to life with a 60-foot eagle putt on the par-5 14th. He was tied with Wallace after a birdie on the 16th, only to three-putt for bogey on the par-3 17th and muff a wedge from thick rough that kept him from a good birdie chance on the par-5 closing hole.

Hovland played bogey-free, though he failed to birdie the par 5s on the back nine with poor tee shots. Even so, the Norwegian star was in position to capture the season-ending titles on the PGA Tour and the European tour.