Collin Morikawa remains on course to become the first American winner of the Race to Dubai following the opening day of the DP World Tour Championship.
The world No 2 shot six birdies and two bogeys in a four-under par round at Jumeirah Golf Estates. That put him in a group of 10 players tied for fifth, three shots behind the first-round leader Rory McIlroy.
Morikawa’s 68 was the lowest of the six players in contention for the Order of Merit crown this week.
Winning the season-ending tournament would guarantee Morikawa the title, but he could actually finish last and still top the standings.
For that to happen, his fellow American Billy Horschel would need to finish worse than a two-way tie for eighth, with the other four contenders failing to win around the Earth Course.
The English trio of Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey and Matt Fitzpatrick — the DP World Tour Championship holder — each carded opening rounds of 70, leaving them in a share of 20th.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee, the other player who could clinch the Race to Dubai with a win, signed for a level-par 72, while Horschel endured a tough first trip around the Earth Course.
The world No 21 carded a two-over par 74, leaving him 45th in the field. Only four players are worse off before the start of round two.
Morikawa, who was also in contention to become the first American Race to Dubai winner last year before eventually finishing fifth, was content enough with how his championship started.
“It was pretty solid throughout,” Morikawa said. “The two bogeys were a little unenforced but I made a few birdies out there and kept the momentum going. It was a good way to start the first round out here.
“I felt really good coming into the week with my irons. They showed up today on a few shots. I hit a couple good seven-irons and just need to keep doing that. That's my game. And when putts start to drop, we're close to the top of the leaderboard.”
Morikawa will start his second round at 11.45am on Friday, in a match with Nicolai Hojgaard, the 20-year-old Dane.
As the leader, McIlroy will be last out at 12.45pm. He will be playing with Tapio Pulkannen, the Finnish player who is making his debut at the DP World Tour Championship.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
