Rory McIlroy made a flying start to the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, opening with a seven under par round of 65 to lead by two shots in the final Rolex Series event of 2021. The four-time Major Champion followed a birdie on the first with an eagle on the second and he was six under through his first eight holes on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, before dropping his only bogey of the day on the ninth. He regained that shot on the next hole before ending a run of seven consecutive pars with a birdie on the last after a delightful pitch to four feet from the front edge of the green. McIlroy is hoping to become the first three-time winner of the DP World Tour Championship having previously won the title in 2012 and 2015. He is also targeting a second victory in consecutive appearances at the end of 2021, having won The CJ Cup @ Summit on the PGA TOUR last month. He is two strokes clear of Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen, the winner of last week’s Aviv Dubai Championship on the neighbouring Fire Course. Race to Dubai leader Collin Morikawa posted six birdies and two bogeys in a four under par round of 68 to sit in ten-way share of fifth place, three shots back. The Open Champion remains firmly on course to become the first American winner of the Race to Dubai, with his nearest rival Billy Horschel opening with two over par round of 74 in a share of 45th position. English trio Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey and defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick, all of whom can deny Morikawa the chance to end the season as European Tour Number One with a victory, each carded opening rounds of 70 and are five shots back in a share of 20th. Australian Min Woo Lee, the other player who could win the Race to Dubai with a win, signed for a level par 72. Player quotes Rory McIlroy: “I've been coming back here now or 12 years and it flies by. I think a lot of experience around this place, a lot of great memories and memories of great shots and great putts. It's comfortable for me. I think if you can carry the ball over 300 on this course. It gets a lot easier, just getting over some of those fairway bunkers and the landing areas become that bit wider. Someone like Dean or myself today, that's an advantage for us and I've been able to use that to my advantage over last few years here. (The eagle on two) “Honestly all I was trying to do was get it in the front bunker. I didn't think I had enough club to get it over but I absolutely flushed it. Right edge of the green I was aiming at, and tried to hit a hard draw in there to at least try to get it to the lip of the bunker. “I had an uphill bunker shot and as soon as I hit it I felt like actually might have a chance to cover it. So it was nice to hole the putt and obviously a great way to start.”

Former Open Champion Shane Lowry fired seven under par round of 65 to take a share of the halfway lead in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai along with Sam Horsfield and John Catlin, as opening round leader Rory McIlroy slipped a shot back after a double-bogey finish. McIlroy followed his opening round 65 with some more impressive play as he carded three birdies on the front nine, before dropping a shot on the tenth hole. Further birdies on the 11th and 16th gave him a one shot advantage playing the last but his tee shot found the bunker and his third shot trickled back into the water protecting the 18th green. After taking a penalty drop in the fringe, the four-time Major Champion then left his chip short and two putted for a double bogey seven, signing for round of 70 to go from one ahead to one behind on nine under par. McIlroy’s Ryder Cup partner Lowry had earlier set the clubhouse target in the final Rolex Series event of 2021 after firing five birdies and an eagle on the 14th to move to ten under. He was then joined on that mark by Englishman Horsfield, who carded five consecutive birdies from the sixth in a 66, and American Catlin who went one better, surging up the leaderboard with a 65 after five birdies in six holes after the turn. Lowry finished joint second behind Jon Rahm in the 2017 DP World Tour Championship and he is seeking his first European Tour win since lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush in 2019. Sweden’s Alexander Björk shares fourth position with McIlroy after a 67, while Collin Morikawa further strengthened his bid to win the Race to Dubai with second successive 68 to share sixth place with former World Number One Martin Kaymer (68), two shots back on eight under par. Only five other players can potentially deny the Race to Dubai leader the chance to become the first American player to be crowned European Tour Number One, and of those Paul Casey and Matt Fitzpatrick are best placed in the tournament, with both Englishman carding rounds of 69 to sit give shots back on five under par. Morikawa’s fellow American Billy Horschel, the only player aside from the Open Champion who can win the Race to Dubai without winning the tournament, signed for a round of 70 and is ten shots off the pace in tied 43rd. Player Quotes Shane Lowry: “I think it was pretty similar. Obviously four shots better today than yesterday, but bogeyed the last yesterday. And suppose when I chipped in on 14 was a huge boost today and holed a couple more putts. Felt like a fairly straightforward, 10-under first two rounds. “I feel like my game is in good shape and I feel like I know my way around this place and I know how to play here. I'm happy to be atop of the leaderboard, late tee time tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the weekend. “Just keep doing what I'm doing. For me personally, it's two more days left and then end of a long year and a half, I suppose, long couple years.

Rory McIlroy will take a one shot lead into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai after producing another dramatic finish in an entertaining round of 67. The four-time Major Champion, who is aiming to become the first three-time winner of the event, dropped a shot on the first but then rattled off six birdies in the next 12 holes to return to the top of the leaderboard in the final Rolex Series event of 2021. McIlroy had been on course for a wire-to-wire victory until a double bogey finish to his second round when he found water on the 18th. This time it was the hazard on the par three 17th which threatened to halt his progress, but his tee shot eventually teetered on the rocks and he produced a remarkable pitch from there to the edge of the green, before shaving the hole with his first putt and emerging with only a bogey. He then made amends for his seven the previous day on the 18th hole, holing a ten foot birdie putt to move to 14 under par, one clear of Englishman Sam Horsfield, who signed for a round of 69. Horsfield made his move on the back nine when he followed an eagle on the 14th with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th, but he dropped a shot on the last after finding the fairway bunker to finish on 13 under par. It was a similar tale for Scotland’s Robert Macintyre who picked up four shots in five holes after the turn, having eagled the seventh on the front nine. He also dropped a shot on the last and he will start the final round two shots back on 12 under par after a round of 67. MacIntyre shares third position with Sweden’s Alexander Björk, who posted a round of 69, while Open Champion Collin Morikawa consolidated his grip on the Race to Dubai title with a round of 69 to share fifth position on 11 under par with compatriot John Catlin (71), Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen (68) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (71). Morikawa remains ahead of all five of the players who could potentially deny him the chance to become the first American to win the Race to Dubai, with Matt Fitzpatrick (tied 13th) and Tyrrell Hatton and Paul Casey (tied 17th) the best placed of that quintet.