McIlroy Caps Off Fast Start In Dubai With Stunning Eagle On The 18th

Rory McIlroy finished off a blistering first round at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai with a stunning second shot to set-up an eagle putt on the 18th. 

Mike Lorenzo-Vera leads McIlroy by one shot after finishing with an incredible nine-under-par 63. The World number two looked to be struggling midway through the round hitting bogeys on the ninth, 12th and 14th holes after a promising start.

However, he mounted a late rally with two birdies and an eagle on the final three holes to set himself up with a good opportunity to take home a fifth tournament win of 2019.

The last 3 times Rory opened with a 67 or lower:

1st 🏆
2nd
1st 🏆#DPWTC #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/UUgPzZOlC0

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 21, 2019

McIlroy has won two of the last three tournaments where he has started with a round of 67 or lower and will be feeling confident heading into the weekend after hitting what he described as one of his best shots of the year.

“Honestly, it’s possibly the best shot I’ve hit all year,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“I had 291 to the pin. Wind was off the left so it was a nice one for me to just aim straight at the pin and know if I hit my little draw, it should hold but if it gets going with the wind, the bunker on the right is better than the water on the left. I just flushed it.

Pretty pleased with the way I finished the round today😉 #dptwc pic.twitter.com/cU1kYZtJHt

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) November 21, 2019

“I sort of carry my 3-wood off the deck about 280 yards, so it was right on the limit but as soon as I hit it, I knew it was perfect.

“It was right out of the middle. Great to finish like that, and yeah, it was a great round of golf.”