McIlroy trails four players, including Poulter and Kaymer, by 2 at Euro Tour finale
Rory McIlroy didn't play his best golf in Thursday's first round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, but the European Tour's Race to Dubai leader is in position to lock up his third season-long points title in four years.
The Ulsterman shot 4-under 68 at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates to trail four players, including Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter and two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, by two shots.
McIlroy, who holed out from a bunker for birdie on the 18th hole, did not have his best stuff in search of a fourth worldwide win this year.
"I bogeyed the tenth hole and then got it back with a couple of good birdies straightaway," he said. "In between those birdies and the birdie at the last, there was a bit of ugly golf in there. But it's nice to get around in 68. I felt like it was a little struggle at times out there but to produce something like that and obviously the way I finished makes it feel a lot better."
Kaymer, like McIlroy, has an outstanding record in the United Arab Emirates. Despite a mediocre season, in which Kaymer admitted he was less focused on golf, the German was expected to fare well.
"Abu Dhabi, Dubai, seems like I do well here usually and I've had great success in the past, whether it's in Abu Dhabi winning a tournament, winning the Race to Dubai here in 2010," Kaymer said. "So for me coming to this part of the world is always a great pleasure.”
Poulter's good form was somewhat surprising, somewhat not. On one hand, Poulter has been on the road for five consecutive weeks, starting with an emergency trip from his Florida home to Hong Kong to save his membership, then playing through the first three events of the Final Series. On the other hand, however exhausted Poulter may be, it is a Ryder Cup year, when the Englishman tends to play his most inspired.
Francesco Molinari is alone in fifth at 5 under par.
McIlroy is a part of an eight-player group tied for sixth place, including Danny Willett, who is a close second to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings, and Branden Grace, who has an outside chance at winning the points race and its nearly $2 million bounty.
Willett was pleased with his opening round, but has three rounds to battle on two fronts: beating McIlroy and staying near the top of the leaderboard.
"You can treat it a little bit like match play in that situation," Willett said.
The most shocking score of the day among the 60-player field came from two-time defending tournament champion Henrik Stenson, whose 5-over 77 has him tied for last place with two players. However, this is Stenson's final event of the year before a planned surgery to clean up mensicus problems in his right knee.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
