Rory McIlroy continued his love affair with Jumeirah Golf Estates at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday.
In 10 appearances over the Earth Course, the Northern Irishman has two wins and five other top fives, with a worst finish of 20th.
An opening 65 moved him to seven under at the European Tour season finale but he will need to be at his very best all week to hold off an elite chasing pack, with the title of European No 1 on the line.
Race to Dubai Rankings leader Collin Morikawa is looking to become the first American to lift the Harry Vardon Trophy and he was just three shots back.
South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dane Joachim B Hansen and Finn Tapio Pulkkanen were McIlroy’s nearest challengers at five under, a shot clear of Morikawa and nine others.
McIlroy’s last European Tour victory was at the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions but he has won twice on the PGA Tour this season – including last month when he beat Morikawa by one shot at the CJ Cup @ SUMMIT – to move back inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The former world No 1 has recently made some changes to his team and is happy to be taking control of his game.
“I’ve been coming back here now for 12 years and it flies by,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of experience around this place, a lot of great memories and memories of great shots and great putts.
“I feel I’m a big boy now. I’ve been around the block a bit and if I have problems or struggles, I should be able to sort them out myself. Instead of looking to others to fix my problems, I’m going to take responsibility a bit and that’s what I did after the Ryder Cup.
“I’ve always been a very visual player. I always see shots. I don’t know how much the shot tracer was out there today but people probably see me playing shots again. That’s how I’ve always played golf and seen the game and I just need to get back to seeing it like that again.
“I think sometimes when you don’t play your best, I maybe don’t set my standards high enough sometimes. They are high but getting into contention in one Major this year isn’t good enough for me.
“I’ve done way better than that before and I know I can again, especially with how I’m playing and feeling like I’ve got my golf game back, basically. So, I’m excited for those four events next year and excited about the road ahead because I really feel like I’m on the right path.”
This Rory McIlroy flop shot 💯#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/M4fAY0KUXn
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 18, 2021
Pulkkanen got up and down for a birdie on the par-five 2nd and while he gave the shot back at the 5th, he put a tee shot to tap-in range at the 6th and made a two-putt birdie on the par-five 7th.
A stunning approach to close range set up a birdie on the 11th but he dropped a shot on the next and at that point he was very much in the pack.
He holed a nine-footer for birdie at the 16th however to get within one and then holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-five last to catapult himself into the lead.
While Pulkkanen was having a fast finish, McIlroy was producing a fast start, holing a 25-foot left to righter at the first and then putting a stunning second to 13 feet at the second for an eagle.
An approach to two feet at the sixth was followed by a two-putt birdie at the 7th and the four-time Major champion was tied at the top.
A 16 footer at the 8th handed him the solo lead but he flew the green at the 9th and made a first bogey of the day to turn at five under.
That soon became a four-way tie with Hansen and Bezuidenhout joining the pack but an approach to close range at the 10th edged McIlroy ahead once more.
A wonderful little pitch helped the 32-year-old get up and down on the last and lead by two but Morikawa was stalking.
The Open champion had holed a 15 footer from just off the green at the 2nd and then got up and down from a fairway bunker at the 3rd before putting a tee shot to four feet at the 6th and making a two-putt birdie at the 7th.
Heating up 🔥@collin_morikawa birdies the 6th to get to -3 🐥#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/SoIFKPCwuk
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 18, 2021
He dropped a shot at the 10th but another excellent bunker shot set up a birdie at the 14th and he left himself 10 feet at the next to sit just two back.
A three-putt on the 17th then had him slip to four under alongside fellow American Johannes Veerman, English duo Marcus Armitage and Sam Horsfield, Swede Alexander Bjork, Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, German Martin Kaymer, Scot Robert MacIntyre and Pole Adrian Meronk.
“It was pretty solid throughout,” said Morikawa. “Obviously, the two bogeys were a little unenforced but I made a few birdies out there and kept the momentum going and it was a good way to start the first rounds out here.”
Last week’s winner Hansen took advantage of all four of the par fives and also hit smart approaches into the first and 10th, dropping his only shot of the day on the 4th.
A 42-foot birdie putt on the 12th was the highlight of Bezuidenhout’s round, added to gains on the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 15th and 16th and a bogey on the 9th.
– Report from europeantour.com
