RACE TO DUBAI champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Holywood Golf Club alum Tom McKibbin both sit four shots behind a trio of first-round leaders after Thursday’s action at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, while Shane Lowry is a shot further back at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ ‘Earth Course’.
A mixed McIlroy round of 71, which consisted of five birdies and four bogeys, will be best remembered for a comical twist.
After dropping a shot on the 12th to fall back to two under par for his round, the four-time major winner infuriated himself by shanking wide right his tee shot on the par-3 13th.
Upon reaching the edge of the green, however, McIlroy could only laugh as he discovered his ball had landed on the lap of a female spectator who had been instructed to remain in her position pending the inspection of a rules official.
McIlroy was eventually able to take a free drop from the same spot but was unable to get up and down for par, dropping to one under for his round.
Rory McIlroy’s tee shot on the 13th hole at the DP World Tour Championship landed on a lady’s lap! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/QufqC4pEGT
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) November 16, 2023
McIlroy’s just teed off on the 13th and it landed on the girls lap next to us 😂 #DPWorldTour pic.twitter.com/g7PTFXzgAM
— Jonny (@jonnyescott) November 16, 2023
A birdie on 15 and a bogey on 16 ensured that McIlroy finished his round on the same score, with the 34-year-old telling Sky Sports afterwards that he was relatively content in the knowledge that he was just four strokes back despite his “rusty” efforts.
McIlroy also explained his decision made earlier this week to step down from his role as a player-director on the PGA Tour’s policy board, telling Sky: “I’ve got a lot going on in my life between my golf game, my family, my growing investment portfolio, my involvement in TGL, and I just felt like something had to give. I just didn’t feel like I could commit the time and the energy into doing that.
“I don’t mind being busy but I just like being busy doing my own stuff so something had to give. There’s guys that are on that board who are spending a lot more time and a lot more energy on it than I am and it’s in good hands. I felt like it was the right time to step off.”
🗣️ "Something had to give"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 16, 2023
Rory McIlroy explains why he has resigned from the PGA Tour's policy board ⛳ pic.twitter.com/MhCY0C1neO
The Northern Irishman is four shots back from joint leaders Julien Guerrier and Mathieu Pavon of France and Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, all of whom opened with five-under-par 67s.
So too is the 20-year-old Belfast man Tom McKibbin who, like McIlroy, shot a one-under 71 — his round made up of four birdies (5, 7, 11, 17) and three par-4 bogeys (3, 12, 16).
Shane Lowry is level for the tournament after a Thursday 72. A birdie on the par-5 18th secured the former Open champion an even-par round after bogeys on 13 and 16 had overwritten a birdie on the first.
