McIlroy opens three under to lead Race to Dubai contenders

Rory McIlroy opened the DP World Tour Championship with a three-under-par round to share third place, two strokes behind Joost Luiten, as he pursued an eighth Race to Dubai title. BBC Sport reported that McIlroy's five birdies and two bogeys left him ahead of the other eight players still able to win the season-long competition.

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McIlroy arrived at Jumeirah Golf Estates trailing standings leader Eugenio Chacarra by 533.93 points, with 2,000 points available to the tournament winner. Only those two players can guarantee the Race to Dubai crown by winning this week. A season title for McIlroy would draw him level with Colin Montgomerie's record of eight, but the opening round left both the tournament and that wider contest unresolved.

The Northern Irishman made birdies at two of his first four holes before dropping a shot at the fifth. Further birdies at the seventh and 11th moved him forward again, although a six at the par-five 14th interrupted his progress. He recovered with a two-putt birdie on the final hole. McIlroy said the wind and a more demanding course set-up had made scoring difficult, while the greens required patience.

Chacarra signed for a level-par 72 to finish five shots behind Luiten. The Spaniard, already a three-time winner this season, had closed his front nine with three consecutive birdies and reached the turn in 34. Dropped shots at the 13th and 15th prevented him from keeping that under-par position. Patrick Reed, third in the season standings, opened with a 75.

Jon Rahm and Daniel Hillier were both one under after rounds of 71. Rahm, who had won in Abu Dhabi the previous week, recorded four birdies and three bogeys. Fellow Race to Dubai contenders Casey Jarvis, Jayden Schaper and Ryan Fox each finished two over, while Aaron Rai was four over. Those scores left McIlroy the best-placed member of the nine-player title chase after the first round.

Luiten set the tournament pace with a 67, one shot ahead of Denmark's Jacob Skov Olesen. The Dutchman reached the turn at five under, then balanced two back-nine birdies with two bogeys.