McIlroy makes strong start in bid to equal Montgomerie's record
Rory McIlroy makes a strong start to his bid for a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title with a three under opening round at the DP World Tour Championship.
Key points
- "To get off to a solid start was very important." Chacarra, who has won three times already this season, finished his front nine with three straight birdies to turn in two-under 34 but dropped shots at 13 and 15 to lie five back of Luiten.
- Rahm, who catapulted himself into contention last week in Abu Dhabi, by winning his first tournament since leaving LIV Golf, mixed four birdies and three bogeys in an opening 71 to sit alongside New Zealand's Hillier.
- Dutchman Luiten, the lowest-ranked player in the field, turned in five under but cancelled two birdies with two bogeys on the back nine to settle for a 67, one clear of Denmark's Jacob Skov Olesen.
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, who is aiming to match Scotland's Colin Montgomerie's record of eight season-long crowns, birdied two of his opening four holes before giving a shot back at the fifth.
Additional details
- "You can't win it on the first day, but you can certainly lose it," added McIlroy.
- "I think it was a pretty fair score," said six-time major winner McIlroy.
- "I could probably stand here and argue that I could have been better, but I could probably stand here and argue that I could have been worse as well.
- The world number two, whose round included five birdies and two bogeys in windy conditions, is two shots behind early leader Joost Luiten.
- He birdied the seventh and 11th, and while he took six at the par-five 14th, he finished with a two-putt birdie four to end joint third.
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