European Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton hold a share of the lead through 18 holes in Dubai.
Two familiar names sit atop the DP World Tour leaderboard after day one.
Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton posted 5-under 67s, combining to make 13 birdies to soar into the lead.
But perhaps more importantly, McIlroy, who holds a sizeable advantage in the Race to Dubai standings, owns a six-shot advantage over Thriston Lawrence, the only man in the field who could prevent McIlroy from winning a Sixth Order of Merit title. For that to happen, Lawrence would have to win the golf tournament and McIlroy would have to finish outside the top 11. But Lawrence carded a 1-over 73 on Thursday, and the South African now faces a six-shot deficit to McIlroy, who carded his 15th straight round in the 60s on the DP World Tour. McIlroy last failed to break 70 during the second round of the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down in September, when he came up just short of Rasmus Højgaard.
“I want to go on from here and win the golf tournament,” said McIlroy, whose last worldwide win came in May at the Wells Fargo Championship.
“I’ve opened up with a really good score, but I need to go out and play similarly over these next three days, not just to try to win the tournament but also to try to get the job done in The Race to Dubai.”
McIlroy also called his opening round “solid” but added that the key is to keep the ball in play. The Earth Course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates is playing significantly more difficult than in recent years, primarily due to how thick the rough is. It’s not U.S. Open-level dense, but it is best to be avoided.
Yet, McIlroy found only 6-of-14 fairways on Thursday, good for 43rd in the field. But he relied on his exquisite length to give himself opportunities. He ranked first among the 50-player field in driving distance.
Hatton, meanwhile, leaned on his accuracy off the tee to plot his way around The Earth Course. The LIV golfer found 10 fairways, which led to him missing only three greens in regulation.
Both players will play in the final group during Friday’s second round.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
