Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy shares lead with Tyrrell Hatton after the opening day in Dubai; Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Paul Waring a shot back in third; Thriston Lawrence - the only player who can catch McIlroy in season-long standings - is six strokes behind
Thursday 14 November 2024 18:52, UK
Rory McIlroy made the dream start to his bid for Race to Dubai victory by grabbing a share of the lead after the opening round of the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy, who only needs to finish 11th or better to guarantee top spot in the DP World Tour's season-long standings for the third successive year and match Seve Ballesteros' tally of six Order of Merit titles, carded a five-under 67 at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The Northern Irishman - a two-time winner of the event - mixed six birdies with a lone bogey to share the early advantage with Tyrrell Hatton, with last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Paul Waring a shot back in third.
Billy Horschel, Matt Wallace, and former world No 1 Adam Scott are both within two of the lead alongside Alex Fitzpatrick, while Thriston Lawrence - the only player who can catch McIlroy in the Race to Dubai - is six back after struggling to a one-over 73.
McIlroy got up and down from off the green to save par at the first and rolled in from 10 feet to take advantage of the par-five next, despite finding the sand with his approach, then fired a wedge to tap-in range to birdie the third.
The world No 3 responded to bogeying fifth after a thinning out of the bunker by laying up from the rough and setting up a close-range birdie at the par-five seventh, before starting his back nine with a 15-foot birdie to get within one of the lead.
McIlroy picked up another shot at the par-five 14th and pulled level with Hatton by holing a long-range birdie at the par-five 17th, before having to settle for a closing par after a wayward approach into the last.
Hatton - who has finished first and second in his last two DP World Tour starts - mixed seven birdies with two bogeys to share top spot with McIlroy, while playing partner Waring briefly held the outright lead with four birdies in the first eight holes of his opening-round 68.
"I feel like the score was better than it felt," Hatton said. "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 five under, you have to play fairly solid golf."
The top 10 players in the Race to Dubai this week - not already exempt - will earn dual membership next season on the PGA Tour, with Niklas Norgaard, Rikuya Hoshino and Alex Fitzpatrick all carding opening-round 69s as they chase those cards on offer.
Four birdies in seven-hole stretch leaves Horschel three back and Keita Nakajima is also tied-fourth after a stunning eagle at the par-five last, while Antoine Rozner birdied each of his last four holes to post a two-under 70.
Romain Langasque was briefly three ahead after five birdies in his first seven holes but carded four bogeys on the back nine of his one-under 71, with Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood also four off the pace.
Lawrence started 1,785 points behind McIlroy in the season-long standings and needs a win to have any chance of overtaking him, although a disappointing day saw him post four birdies and five bogeys to sit tied-37th of the 50-man field.
Who will win the Race to Dubai? Watch the DP World Tour Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday from 7am on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the DP World Tour and more with NOW.
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