Rory McIlroy shoots scintillated 65 to lead European Tour final with two strokes in Dubai

When dropping a late shot on the front nine to go out in 31 is the worst part of your round, it was probably a pretty good day. Rory McIlroy’s only weakness in Round 1 of the DP World Tour Championship on the European Tour was the error on ninth when he needed par for 30 at the front, but he came back early in the second round and finished. home with a score of 7 – Under 65 leads a group of three golfers with two in Dubai.

It started with a frenzy for McIlroy on Thursday. A two-time winner of the event, he played the first two holes of six strokes and was three behind on the third tee. His eagle on the par-5 second hole included a bombed second shot from 267 yards to 13 feet, and he never really looked back the rest of the day.

“Honestly, all I tried to do was put it in the front bunker,” McIlroy said. “I don’t think I have enough sticks to get through it, but I completely discharged it. It was… [the] right edge of the green I’m aiming for, and try to hit a hard hit there to at least try to get it close to the crater so I have a hit on the uphill bunker. As soon as I hit it, I felt like there might actually be a chance to cover it. So it’s great to put on a putt and obviously a great way to start. ”

McIlroy followed him 31 with a 34 on the back including a convenience chip at the bottom, leading to birdies on the 18th and 65th. He finished second on tee shots, usually quarters. neighborhood where he resides, and the only player better with a driver on Thursday is actually his playing teammate, Dean Burmester.

The encouraging part for McIlroy, however, is that he did well on everything else and hit nearly all-round hits in every shot hit category. Even in the CJ Cup win, McIlroy didn’t play well overall with his rocky play, especially compared to the PGA Tour winners. That was not the case on Thursday when he was 12th in the field in that category.

After Thursday’s round in Dubai, McIlroy said he’s trying to play with more emotion and creativity. The proof is in that massive painting of 3 trees that he hit the second eagle.

McIlroy said: “I have always been a player with a very good image. “I always see shots. I don’t know how many marksmen there are today, but people can see me playing shots. Maybe not as much as Bubba Watson, but that’s it. still the way I’ve always played golf and watched the game and I just had to go back to watch that game again.”

The best McIlroy could do this week in the Race to Dubai (the season-long run of the European Tour) was 4th place behind Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel and Jon Rahm (who didn’t compete this week). hey), even if he wins the tournament. However, to add this to his two other wins this year at the Wells Fargo Championship and the CJ Cup at the Summit a few weeks ago – and steal a year three wins in the span that he He doesn’t get the best of himself – that would be meaningful to him. It will also bring a lot of excitement as we head into 2022, where the focus is back on how he plays at the major championships.

“I guess I talked about this a little bit after CJ,” McIlroy said. “I think sometimes you don’t play to your best, maybe sometimes I don’t set my standards high enough. They’re high, but getting into a major this year wasn’t good enough for me. I did. It’s been better than before and I know I can come back, especially with the way I’m playing and it feels like I’m golfing again, basically.So I’m excited for four events. next year and excited about the road ahead because I really feel like I’m on the right track.”

All of that remains to be seen, but apparently McIlroy had his best quote “I’m Rory McIlroy, a four-time big winner and there’s nothing any of you can do about it” on Thursday on his way to 65. If he keeps up with that, this is the kind of course where he could win his third title in 10 years on this course. At least, after the all-round performance he put on Thursday, the other 52 golfers in the field are now in big trouble at the top of the rankings.

Let’s see more from Round 1:

• Collin Morikawa shot a 4 under 68 in an attempt to become the first American to win the season-long Race to Dubai. He’s currently T5 in the standings, which is likely more than enough to close the title, especially since teammate Billy Horschel shoots 74 and is a T45. Horschel is any candidate’s best hope to catch Morikawa in the Race to Dubai, but he needs to at least make the top 10 in the final three rounds.
• Tapio Pulkkanen is one of three runners-up on the board, along with Joachim B. Hansen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Pulkkanen, 31, is the 246th player in the world, and his best performance on the European Tour came earlier this year at the D+D Real Czech Masters, where he finished T2. He gave a brief but interesting quote after his round. “I think I need to keep doing what I did today and see what the big boys are doing,” said Pulkkanen, who will partner Mcilroy on Friday afternoon.
• Hansen is trying to make money again on hot hands. He won the AVIV Dubai championship last week and leads the field in strokes hit on Thursday’s approach by 3.64, at least one shot better than every player in the game. yard minus one club.