Rory McIlroy took a share of the lead on the first day of the DP World Tour Championship to further strengthen his grip on a sixth Race to Dubai title.
McIlroy made six birdies and a solitary bogey in an opening 67 matched by Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton, with England’s Paul Waring, who won in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a shot behind.
Thriston Lawrence is the only player who can prevent McIlroy from topping the money list for the third year in a row by winning the season-ending event, and even that wouldn’t be enough if McIlroy finished 11th or better in the field of 50 players.
Playing alongside McIlroy in the first round at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Lawrence could only manage an opening 73.
“I thought I did well,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “The golf course plays a little harder than in previous years due to the thickness of the rough.
“I put my ball in play pretty well for the most part and when I didn’t, I felt like I was smart enough to put it back in play or miss from the right side.
“I made some nice pars towards the middle of the round when a few holes could have escaped me, then I finished well with birdies at 14 and 17.”
McIlroy won two individual titles in 2024, as well as the Zurich Classic team event with Shane Lowry, but admitted failing to win a long-awaited fifth major title at the US Open still “stings” and gave his season an overall grade of B.
“With the amount of chances I gave myself, especially this year, I feel like I probably should have won a few more times,” McIlroy added.
“But having said that, if I continue and have three more good days here and finish the year with a victory, I will look back on 2024 with a lot of fondness.”
Hatton, who won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October and finished second to Waring in Abu Dhabi, made seven birdies and two bogeys on his 67.
“To be honest, I feel like the score was better than it was,” Hatton said.
“I felt like I was tinkering with most of the tee shots and I felt like my misses were bigger than they have been over the last month, but at the end of the day, to shoot five cents, I guess you have to play some pretty solid golf.
“In my head, I don’t really know what it is, but here we are.”