Luke Donald (The Associated Press)
Donald saved par on Nos. 1 and 4 with clutch putting, and some accurate up-and-down play helped him make four birdies in a stretch of six holes.
“It was a nice, solid start,” said the Englishman, who made six of his seven birdies in the first 10 holes. “It was very tidy. Just a lot of solid golf. I gave myself a lot of opportunities.”
Donald fended off a challenge from McIlroy at the tournament last year to become the first player to clinch both the European and PGA Tour money titles. The Northern Irishman has repeated the feat this season, and he surged into contention Thursday at the $8 million event with three birdies on the back nine. The PGA Championship winner could have matched Donald, but his tee shot on the 18th went into a creek.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain and Marc Warren of Scotland are also at 6 under.
On a day when more than three-quarters of the field shot under par, there were plenty of other big names in the mix.
Lee Westwood, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, 2010 PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer and two others were at 5 under. Six players, including 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, were another shot behind.
McIlroy struggled on the front nine, making only one birdie, but turned it around coming home with a stretch of five birdies in seven holes. He is trying to emulate Westwood’s feat in 2009 in which he won the money title and this tournament.
“I got off to a bit of a slow start but felt I was hitting the ball well enough to give myself opportunities for birdies. I just had to stay patient. I got it together on the back nine,” McIlroy said. “It’s a great way to start. Obviously, I’m confident heading into tomorrow.”
With the money title decided, players are now counting on strong performances to help them move up the rankings. A top-30 finish gets them into the British Open, while the top 15 is enough for the U.S. Open. The top 10 on the European money list will receive a portion of the $3.75 million bonus pool.
DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES
Thursday
First Round
Luke Donald, England 33-32—65
Rory McIlory, Northern Ireland 35-31—66
G. Fernandez-Castano, Spain 36-30—66
Marc Warren, Scotland 36-30—66
Lee Westwood, England 35-32—67
L. Oosthuizien, South Africa 33-34—67
Richie, Ramsay, Scotland 34-33—67
Martin Kaymer, Germany 35-32—67
F. Andersson Hed, Sweden 34-33—67
Padraig Harrington, Ireland 35-32—67
Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium 32-36—68
Justin Rose, England 34-34—68
Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark 34-34—68
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa 34-34—68
Jamie Donaldson, Wales 32-36—68
Scott Jamieson, Scotland 34-34—68
Peter Lawrie, Ireland 34-34—68
Henrik Stenson, Sweden 34-34—68
Stephen Gallacher, Scotland 32-36—68
Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand 32-36—68
Peter Hanson, Sweden 34-35—69
Marcus Fraser, Australia 35-34—69
Branden Grace, South Africa 35-34—69
Joost Luiten, Netherlands 35-34—69
Simon Dyson, England 36-33—69
Raphael Jacquelin, France 34-35—69
Anders Hansen, Denmark 33-36—69
Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Spain 34-36—70
Alexander Noren, Sweden 37-33—70
M. Hoey, Northern Ireland 33-37—70
Romain Wattel, France 38-32—70
Thomas Aiken, South Africa 36-34—70
Pablo Larrazabal, Spain 35-35—70
Paul Lawrie, Scotland 36-35—71
George Coetzee, South Africa 36-35—71
David Drysdale, Scotland 33-38—71
Victor Dubuisson, France 36-35—71
Chris Wood, England 37-34—71
Jeev Milkha Singh, India 34-37—71
Miguel Angle Jimenez, Spain 34-37—71
Danny Willett, England 36-35—71
Ian Poulter, England 35-37—72
Robert Rock England 37-35—72
Francesco Molinari, Italy 37-35—72
Bernd Wiesberger, Austria 36-36—72
Graeme McDowell, NI 34-38—72
Soren Kjeldsen, Denmark 34-38—72
Jbe Kruger, South Africa 35-37—72
Matteo Manassero, Italy 37-36—73
Marcel Siem, Germany 36-37—73
David Lynn, England 39-34—73
Sergio Garcia, Spain 38-35—73
Richard Sterne, South Africa 40-34—74
Lee Slattery, England 38-36—74
Alejandro Canizares, Spain 37-37—74
Richard Finch, England 39-37—76
Shane Lowry, Ireland WD
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