Dubai: Race to Dubai rivals Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett finished level two strokes off the lead at four under par 68 on day one of the DP World Tour Championship on Thursday.
McIlroy struck two birdies on his front nine, with a bogey and three birdies on his return, including a bunker chip shot on eighteen to ensure Willett didn’t take a first round advantage in the race for overall series honours.
“It’s nice to get around in 68,” said McIlroy, who is tied for sixth with Willett and six others. “I felt like it was a little struggle out there at times, but to produce something like that and the way I finished makes it feel a lot better.”
Willett’s round was almost identical with two outward birdies and three birdies and a bogey on his back nine, including a birdie at the last, to keep tabs on McIlroy.
If things stay as they are, however, McIlroy would win the Race to Dubai as long as the other five race contenders — Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Byeong Hun An — don’t pass them. All McIlroy needs to do is tie with Willett to win his third European crown.
Fellow Race to Dubai contender Branden Grace also finished the first round on four under par 68 with McIlroy and Willett, after being five under through six only to bogey nine with two birdies and two bogies on his return.
Meanwhile, Byeong-Hun An is tied for 23 at two under par 70, after shooting a bogey and three birdies on the first five holes of his second nine.
Justin Rose is a stroke back tied for 28 one under par 71, after carding four birdies and three bogies on his front nine and two birdies and two bogies on his return.
Oosthuizen is one over par 73 tied for 46th after two birdies and three bogies on his back nine. And Lowry is three over par 75 and 54th in the leader board after three outward birdies and three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey on twelve, on his back nine.
