Everything you need to know from day one in Dubai.
There was a three-way tie at the top, Rory McIlroy got lucky, Adrian Meronk landed a big bird and the fans were playing their part on day one of the DP World Tour Championship.
Here is everything you need to know from the opening day at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Tied at the top
Nicolai Højgaard produced a back-nine birdie blitz to join French duo Julien Guerrier and Matthieu Pavon at the top of the leaderboard. The Ryder Cup star was one over after six holes and level par as he made the turn but reeled off five birdies in six holes to sign for a 67 and get to five under. Earth Course debutant Guerrier was bogey-free in making the same score at the fifth Rolex Series event of the season before in-form countryman Pavon finished birdie-birdie to join him with a blemish-free effort of his own. Another Frenchman in Antoine Rozner was a shot off the lead alongside Swede Jens Dantorp and Pole Adrian Meronk, one clear of Højgaard's Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre and South Korea's Tom Kim.
Højgaard inspired by Ryder Cup
It has been quite a run for Højgaard this year. Seven top tens in the 2023 season helped him earn his place in the European Team that defeated the United States in Rome and he had his best result of the campaign finishing second at last week's Nedbank Golf Challenge. He has brought that form to Dubai and revealed his Ryder Cup experience had given him the hunger to go to the very top as he looks for a first Rolex Series win. "Spending time with the best players in the world, fighting for a common goal was amazing, and just being around those guys, seeing what they do, what do I do different, what do I need to work on," he said. "It gave me a lot of confidence going into the last end of the season here. You want to play with those guys but you also want to beat them."
Guerrier happy to take advice
Guerrier was quick to give credit to his caddie after he carded a bogey-free 67 in his first competitive round over the Earth Course. The Frenchman is enjoying a career year on the DP World Tour, qualifying for the DP World Tour Championship for the first time after securing three top threes, including his best finish of second at the Porsche European Open. And he showed no signs that he was a rookie at the season finale, making five birdies on day one. Guerrier's caddie Chris Lilley is no stranger to this part of the world having spent over 20 years on Tour, most notably nine seasons with Raphaël Jacquelin, and the 38-year-old was happy to lean on his experience. "I just tried to be really disciplined because I don't really know this course," said Guerrier. "My caddie has more experience on this course than me, so I just listen to him. I try to play in the zone and I did it correctly."
Pavon powered by big finish
Pavon has been in fine form of late but it did not look like he would sit atop the leaderboard as he stood on the 17th tee - then he did this.
And followed it with this.
Unsurprisingly, he was happy with his day's work.
McIlroy's 18th adventure
They say if you can't be good, be lucky - it's a good job McIlroy is both. Even the best need a bit of luck sometimes and on the 18th hole World Number Two McIlroy got out of jail twice. He first sent his tee-shot right towards the stream only to see his ball bounce off the rocks and land safely among the chippings, but better was to come. His second shot landed in the water, bounced up onto the nearby bridge, gripped, spun and nestled safely on dry land. McIlroy went on to find the green in three and get down in two for a "regulation" par five but those who saw it will always remember it was anything but. "I was hoping that my tee shot was going to miss the hazard right but I didn't exactly think that it would do what it did," he said. "And the second shot from the mulch, it just sort of started left on me and yeah, got another stroke of luck by coming back over the bridge."
Lap of honour
The 18th did not see McIlroy's only adventurous tee shot as he also went right on the 13th. On that occasion, his ball ended up in the lap of a fan who sat waiting patiently for a referee to arrive, much to everyone's amusement. She was definitely the star of the day!
Meronk lands an eagle
From 130 yards. Take a bow.
