Skip to content Rory McIlroy launched his pursuit of an eighth Race to Dubai crown with a three-under-par 69 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, surviving tricky desert winds to stay right in the hunt. The Northern Irishman sits just two strokes behind early pacesetter Joost Luiten after an eventful round featuring five birdies and two bogeys.
A victory this week would pull McIlroy level with Colin Montgomerie on eight season-long European titles. He wasted little time asserting himself on Thursday, picking up shots on two of his first four holes before dropping one back at the par-four fifth.
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He rebounded with birdies at the seventh and 11th. A untidy six on the par-five 14th stalled his momentum, but a tidy two-putt birdie on the 18th ensured he finished the day tied for third place alongside Victor Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott and Francesco Laporta.
How McIlroy positioned his Race to Dubai challenge
McIlroy acknowledged the Earth Course tested everyone with firmer greens and unpredictable gusts. He walked off pleased that he avoided the big numbers that wrecked the cards of several fellow contenders.
“I could probably stand here and argue that I could have been better, but I could probably stand here and argue that I could have been worse as well.”
The world number two was quick to contrast the course with the pristine putting surfaces at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi seven days earlier. Dubai demanded far more caution.
“I hit the ball well for the most part,” McIlroy explained. “It’s tricky, the wind makes it tricky. The course set-up is a little more difficult than in previous years. The greens are not like Yas Links last week. They’re not absolutely perfect, so you’ve got to have your patience a little bit on them too. Overall, happy with the score.”
Windy conditions test the Race to Dubai contenders
Nine players arrived at the DP World Tour Championship with a mathematical route to win the Race to Dubai. Yet only two men control their own destiny: McIlroy and Eugenio Chacarra.
Chacarra entered the week leading the standings by 533.93 points over McIlroy, knowing that 2,000 points await Sunday’s tournament winner. A win for either player guarantees the season trophy, regardless of what anyone else shoots.
Other mathematical hopefuls slipped backward early. Patrick Reed struggled to a three-over 75, while Casey Jarvis, Jayden Schaper and Ryan Fox all carded rounds of 74. Aaron Rai endured an even harder afternoon, stumbling to a 76.
Jon Rahm kept himself within striking distance after a mixed bag. Last week’s Abu Dhabi champion posted four birdies and three bogeys in an opening 71, sharing red numbers with New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.
Chacarra stumbles while Luiten leads the pack
Chacarra has lifted three trophies already this season and looked ready to pull away after catching fire before the turn. He reeled off three straight birdies to post a front-nine 34.
The Spaniard then ran into trouble on the back nine. Dropped shots at the 13th and 15th dragged him back to level-par 72, leaving him five strokes off the pace and three behind McIlroy.
While Chacarra slipped, Luiten took full advantage of calm morning air. The Dutchman arrived as the lowest-ranked qualifier in the field, then tore through his front nine in 31 strokes.
Luiten traded two birdies with two bogeys coming home to sign for a five-under 67. That gives him a one-shot lead over Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, who sits alone in second at four under.
Further down the leaderboard, Tyrrell Hatton opened with a solid two-under 70. Matt Wallace matched Chacarra on level par, but England’s Tommy Fleetwood stumbled badly with an opening 76.
What comes next in the Race to Dubai finale
McIlroy knows opening rounds rarely hand out silverware, but bad ones take you out of the picture fast. His steady start leaves him perfectly poised to strike over the weekend.
“You can’t win it on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” McIlroy said. “I played nicely, so there was never any threat of me shooting a bad one. But it was possible today to go out there and shoot a couple over and feel like you were sort of out of the tournament.”
With 54 holes left, the Race to Dubai remains on a knife-edge. Second-round play begins early on Friday morning, with McIlroy chasing down Luiten while keeping a sharp eye on Chacarra’s response.
Source: BBC Sport
