'Right in the thick of things' - Rory McIlroy's Race to Dubai delight as Masters great opens season finale with 'really good score'
Rory McIlroy is aiming to keep his foot to the floor over the next three days despite a position in the Race to Dubai title race being strengthened after the first round of the DP World Tour’s season finale.
The 34-year-old, who is bidding to land the Harry Vardon Trophy for the fourth year in a row and seventh time in total, opened with a six-under-par 66 on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the $10m DP World Tour Championship.
The effort was eight shots better than Marco Penge, his playing partner and closest challenge in the season-long points list, could manage on his debut in the Rolex Series event while Tyrrell Hatton, the only other player who can climb above McIlroy on Sunday night, had to settle for 70.
It means that Northern Ireland’s McIlroy is unlikely to be feeling any unwanted pressure for the remainder of the tournament, which he won 12 months ago for a third time and now has his sights on adding to that tally as well in the Middle East.
“Yeah, I’ve shot a really good score today and it’s put me right in the thick of things with three days to go,” said the world No 2, who sits two shots off the lead held by American Michael Kim after the French Open champion signed for a bogey-free opening effort. “So I’ll focus on trying to win the tournament.
"And, if I play well enough, the season-long titles are a by-product of the good play in tournaments.
"I’m 100 per cent focused on what I am doing.
"I’m not playing with Marco tomorrow, so I can maybe focus even more on my own game and try to get right up there with a chance to win the tournament.”
McIlroy opened the first round with three straight birdies, dropped his only shot of the day at the fourth before quickly finding his stride again with gains at the fifth, 10th, 11th and 14th.
“I woke up this morning and saw that Shane (Lowry) birdied the first four, so I was like, ‘okay, there must be a few chances early on’,” he said, smiling. “Yeah, I got off to a great start.
“Hitting two great wedges at one and three and also made a routine birdie on the par-5 second.
"I then just tried to keep it going.
"But it is a really solid start.”
In last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, McIlroy produced a grandstand finish as he signed off with a 62 - his lowest-ever DP World Tour score - to claim third spot in first of two Play-Off events in the UAE.
“I feel like the first two days last week in Abu Dhabi it sort of took me a while to find my rhythm and I guess get my scoring boots on,” said McIlroy as he assessed his 15th round of 66 or better on this golf course. “I felt I played well but didn’t get the most out of my rounds and then had a good weekend and then today was just a continuation of that.
“I felt like I left a couple out there, if I am honest.
"My wedge play and approach play was probably as sharp as it has been all year, so that was great to see.
"And, if I can continue to do that over the next three days, hopefully I will give myself a great chance to win round here again.”
Tom McKibbin, McIlroy’s Holywood club-mate and the recent runaway winner of the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour, opened with a 70 to sit alongside Hatton in joint-22nd.