In the sunlit sprawl of Jumeirah Golf Estates, Rory McIlroy has once again positioned himself at the helm of the leaderboard, this time with a scorching five under par 67, tying with Ryder Cup cohort Tyrrell Hatton after a gripping opening round at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
This puts McIlroy on the cusp of clinching his sixth “Rory McIlroy Race to Dubai” title, a testament to his enduring prowess and tenacity on the course.
The spectacle of McIlroy’s game was highlighted by a dramatic 48-foot putt on the 17th, marking his sixth birdie of the day and showcasing his precision under pressure.
His round was nearly flawless, marred only by a minor stumble with a bogey on the fifth.
This performance is part of a broader campaign for his third victory at the DP World Tour Championship, a title he secured back in 2012 and 2015—years he also dominated the Race to Dubai.
Rory McIlroy: I thought I did well. I hit the ball pretty well. I gave myself plenty of chances, plenty of looks.
When I did put myself out of position, I was smart and either just trying to get it back in position or leave myself with a bit of room to work with if I was missing the greens.
Overall really solid round of golf. The course is playing a little bit more difficult than in previous years because of how thick the rough is.
We are going to have to just keep an eye on that and get the ball in play as much as possible over these next three days.
I want to go on from here and win the golf tournament. I’ve opened up with a really good score but I need to go out and play similarly over these next three days, not just to try to win the tournament but also to try to get the job done in The Race to Dubai.
I’m under no illusions that that was probably Thriston’s worst day. If he goes out and has three good ones, I still need to go out there and play some very solid golf.
Matching strides with McIlroy, Hatton replicated the 67 score, a golfer no stranger to the biting winds of competition, having been the runner-up at this event in 2016 and just last year.
Hatton’s card was a colourful affair of seven birdies dappled with a couple of bogeys, enough to keep him in joint leadership.
Tyrrell Hatton: To be honest I feel like the score was better than it felt. I felt I was tinkering over most tee shots and at times, I felt like my misses were bigger than perhaps they have been over the last month or so, month and a half.
But at the end of the day, to shoot 5-under, you have to, I guess, play fairly solid golf. And in my head, I don’t really know what that is. But here we are.
Trailing the leaders, South African Thriston Lawrence, the only golfer still in the running against McIlroy for the Race to Dubai, finds himself adrift by six strokes, tied in the 37th spot after a lukewarm round of 73.
Lawrence’s chances seem dimmed under the Arabian sun as he navigates the high stakes of the final Rolex Series event of the year.
Meanwhile, last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victor, Paul Waring, continues to ride the high tide of his recent success.
Waring’s round of 68 leaves him just a stroke behind the leaders, hungrily eyeing the prospect of back-to-back Rolex Series wins—a feat not easily dismissed.
Not to be overlooked, Billy Horschel, the BMW PGA Championship victor, alongside a contingent of seasoned players including Keita Nakajima, Rikuya Hoshino, Matt Wallace, and Niklas Nørgaard, is poised just two shots behind McIlroy and Hatton. Each is eager to etch their mark in the sands of this prestigious tournament.
As the Race to Dubai hurtles towards its climax, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and the greens of Dubai have never looked more inviting.
Rory McIlroy’s pursuit of yet another crown is a thrilling narrative of resilience and skill, promising a showdown that will be etched in the annals of golf history.
