Rory McIlroy has already clinched the season-long Race to Dubai title, but there’s still hardware on the line this week at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
European Ryder Cupper Nicolai Hojgaard is tied for the lead at 5 under alongside Julien Guerrier and Matthieu Pavon. Guerrier and Pavon were bogey free on Thursday, while Hojgaard was 1 over through six holes before closing his round with six birdies over the final 12 holes.
“I played really well today,” Hojgaard said. “Drove it well from hole No. 1 to 18, even though it was a little bit of a circus on 18, felt really solid. Got on a run. You know there’s a few chances out there, so it’s just about keep hitting good shots and stay present, and I feel I did a good job today.”
Jens Dantorp, Antoine Rozner and Adrian Meronk are tied for fourth at 4 under while a group including Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Kim, Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre sit 3 under, T-7.
DP World Tour Championship: Leaderboard
McIlroy opened with a 1-under 71 that included an interesting fan interaction when his tee shot landed in a spectator’s lap.
Rory McIlroy’s tee shot lands on spectator ‘s lap!
#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/Yklsw5Nqhq
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 16, 2023
World No. 3 Jon Rahm, who won this event last year, shot an even-par 72.