Dubai R1: Joost Luiten leads with 67 as Rory McIlroy opens 69 to gain three on Chacarra
Last man into the 50-player field shoots five-under at Jumeirah Golf Estates while McIlroy finishes strong on 18 against Race leader Chacarra (72).
Joost Luiten walked onto the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates as the 50th and last qualifier into the DP World Tour Championship and walked off Thursday with the solo first-round lead. Mixing seven birdies with two bogeys, the Dutchman signed for a five-under 67, his lowest round on the Earth Course since 2016.
Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen sits one shot off the pace after an opening 68 (-4), followed by a five-way tie for third at three-under featuring Rory McIlroy (69), Victor Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott and Francesco Laporta.
For the Race to Dubai ($10 million purse, $3 million first prize), Thursday’s anchor pairing already tilted toward drama: Masters champion McIlroy capped a crisp 69 with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 18th, trimming three early strokes off points leader Eugenio Chacarra (4,243.79 pts vs 3,709.86), who settled for an even-par 72 in a share of 28th.
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