Julien Guerrier, Matthieu Pavon, and Nicolai Hojgaard are in the lead after shooting 67s in the opening round in Dubai. Viktor Hovland is two shots behind, Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy is four shots back, and three-time winner Jon Rahm is five shots behind.
Nicolai Hojgaard had a great run of birdies to take a share of the lead at the DP World Tour Championship. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy couldn’t maintain his strong start in Dubai.
Hojgaard made five birdies in a six-hole stretch during an opening-round 67 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, seeing the Ryder Cup rookie sit top of the leaderboard alongside French duo Julien Guerrier and Matthieu Pavon.
Adrian Meronk is tied for fourth place with Antoine Rozner and Jens Dantorp, one shot behind the leader. Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, and Robert MacIntyre are all within two shots of the lead after good starts.
Race to Dubai champion McIlroy birdied three of his first seven holes in his first start since Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph. He finished with a score of one-under 71. Rahm, who is aiming for a record fourth win at the event, was one stroke behind.
Guerrier and Pavon both played well in their initial rounds, with Guerrier posting five birdies without any bogeys and Pavon almost getting a hole-in-one on the 17th hole. They both finished at five under par, with Pavon draining a 40-foot birdie on the last hole.
Hojgaard was at even par at the halfway point. But then, he made a great putt from off the green on the 10th hole, leading to two consecutive birdies. From the 13th hole, he added three more birdies to reach a total of five under par. This performance resulted in a three-way tie for the lead.
Meronk started with a bogey at the first hole but quickly recovered with two consecutive birdies at the next. He then made a great eagle from the fifth fairway, followed by two more birdies, bringing him within one shot of the lead. He is aiming for his fourth win of the season.
MacIntyre and Hovland both had ups and downs during the round, but MacIntyre ended with a bogey and Hovland finished two shots behind the leaders.
Fleetwood shot a 69 in the opening round, with seven birdies and four bogeys. Kim had a blemish-free start, while Hatton was one shot behind. McIlroy, playing his first appearance since the Ryder Cup, finished the round with a one-under 71, four shots behind the leader.
McIlroy birdied the second hole but missed an opportunity on the par-five. He continued with a birdie on the next hole and added another at the fifth hole, making a 15-foot putt. He then birdied the seventh hole to come within two shots of the leader. However, he and his playing partner Rahm both bogeyed the next hole.
The golfer started the second half of the course with a birdie, but then made two bogeys in a row starting from the 12th hole. This happened after his tee shot at the 13th hole landed in a spectator’s lap.
McIlroy made a mistake after getting a birdie on the 15th hole by bogeying the next one. However, he made an impressive save in the sand on the last hole to secure a par. He also got lucky on the last hole and managed to avoid losing a shot, finishing with a score below par.
“Got off to a nice start, and then hit a couple of loose shots on the back nine and felt like I was scrambling pretty much the whole way there,” McIlroy admitted. “I can certainly do better, I know that, but it was nice to get one round out of the way and hopefully something to build on.”
Rahm had a score of level-par 72 after bogeying his last two holes. He is now five strokes behind his Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry. Another golfer, Matt Fitzpatrick, managed to salvage a two-over 74 despite playing the first five holes five over par.
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