Alex Noren says he took inspiration from watching Rory McIlroy’s driving before firing a bogey-free six-under-par 66 that left him flying high on day one at the DP World Tour Championship, the final Rolex Series event of the season.
The Swede is playing in the DP World Tour’s season finale in Dubai for the first time since 2018 after finishing among the top 50 available players on the DP World Tour Rankings in partnership with Rolex.
Noren attributed his fast start to the week at Jumeirah Golf Estates to his play off the tee as he birdied three of the four par fives on the Earth Course, having spent time watching former Ryder Cup team-mate and World Number One McIlroy's swing.
“That's why going into this week, I just put Rory's driver on repeat in my home, and somehow, can I like feed off that because I know driver here is key,” he said.
“Today I was better with a driver than I think I've ever been around here, maybe let it go a little bit and curve it both ways and let it get up in the air.
“When you sort of get it - even if you're in the rough, 30, 20 yards longer than maybe like a squeezed-out driver in the middle, it helps.”
Noren arrived in Dubai off the back of a top-five finish in Houston last week on the PGA TOUR and is encouraged with where his game is at after returning to the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I come off a decent finish last week, and got the putting going the last five holes,” he said. “So I'm very happy.
“I think it's more, maybe not just confidence. It's more like these shots work. These shots work and this is what I need to work on.
“Sometimes when you come into a week having played that or not having played at all, you don't really know what works.
“So I think that's maybe what we like the most. Like, oh, this driver, just keep on doing that. So you fly across the world but it's sort of the same but then it feels good.”
The Swede has mostly played on the PGA TOUR this year but has registered runner-up finishes in his last two DP World Tour appearances — the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Barracuda Championship.
“I really miss Europe,” he said. “I would be here more if I played better in America, and that's my goal, to be here more. I'm super happy be to here and I wasn't really in until Dunhill, so I'm happy to be here."
