Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Rory McIlroy has made a good start at the season-ending European tour championship in Dubai as he bids for a record-equalling eighth order of merit title, shooting a three-under 69 to lie in third place and two strokes off first-round leader Joost Luiten.
McIlroy is seeking to claim the year-long award — crowning the best No. 1 player on the European tour that season — for the fifth straight year and would be guaranteed to do so with a victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week.
The world No.2 is currently second in the Race to Dubai standings behind Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, who shot 72 on Thursday to already lie three strokes behind the Northern Irishman.
Patrick Reed, third in the standings and the only other realistic title contender, failed to turn around his recent slump in form and shot 75.
Jon Rahm, who needs to win and hope for Chacarra and McIlroy to finish way down the leaderboard, opened with a 71.
Luiten handled the Earth course best on a day when the wind picked up and thick rough lining the fairways and around the greens proved to be punitive.
The Dutch player went out in 31 after five birdies in his front nine and was even par coming home, with a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five 18th wrapping up a round of 67.
With so many points on offer this week, a win would come with a huge reward for any outsider like Luiten, and not just because of the .
Also up for grabs this week are 10 places on next season’s PGA Tour, available to European tour members who are not otherwise exempt.
Luiten isn’t currently one of those 10. He was a stroke clear of Jakob Skov Olesen, who is among those in line for a PGA Tour card.
Victor Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott and Francesco Laporta were alongside McIlroy a further shot back after their 69s.
The only Australian in the field was the evergreen 46-year-old Adam Scott, who made a solid start with his one-under 71 that left him tied for 16th.
