Rory McIlroy Round 1 Highlights | 2024 Dubai Invitational

Highlights from Rory McIlroy’s opening round 62 in Dubai, his first start of the 2024 season.

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The DP World Tour resumes its 2024 season with the first event of a five-week stretch in the Middle East as the inaugural Dubai Invitational marks the start of the International Swing. World Number Two Rory McIlroy will be at the Dubai Creek Resort this week. The Northern Irishman has enjoyed great success in middle east, claiming five of his 16 DP World Tour titles in Dubai. The 34-year-old begins the new year aiming to win the sixth Harry Vardon Trophy of his career. Six-time DP World Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood will be in Dubai this week. He’s making back-to-back appearances on the DP World Tour as the Englishman looks to build on momentum generated from an impressive 2023 season, which included his second Ryder Cup win, and a runner up finish in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship. DP World Tour Championship winner Nicolai Højgaard will also fancy his chances this week. He’ll be looking to kick on from a successful 2023 which included victories as part of Continental Europe in the inaugural Hero Cup and Team Europe in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, as well as earning PGA TOUR playing privileges for 2024 via the FedEx Cup. Others to look out for are Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari and Thriston Lawrence.

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As we get down live to the action with Rory maroy he’s second at 18 big drive from Rory on 18 just a short wedge flick two iconic holes to finish this golf course finds another Target he’ll have that to go four under on his first nine straight up the hill got a nice

Little read did Rory maroy off ran Fox’s chip so a good opport right here to make inroads into this leaderboard I can feel someone’s going to shoot eight under out here today i’ be surprised if someone doesn’t he loves greens like this he’s one the two chance one two or three

Times loves playing in Florida big winner on Bermuda greens out with the the big one trying to just chew on this thing 320 yards to carry the bunkers down down the left hand Wing so very easy with a little bit of help in the air and a slightly

Elevated te to run through the Fairway so height required and it’s a little bit of check on this driver and it is that new driver that he used this part of the world at the end of last season he seems pretty happy with it and if you’re bad one he’s still

Finding the Fairway Happy Days no wind out here he loves that so he can flly it nice and high with the wedges as he loves to do high right shoulder which means a little right maybe yeah I think he was trying to draw that wasn’t he maybe that 54° possibly couldn’t get

There didn’t draw it just slightly came out of it yep it’s right to left Alli it’s a little bit of a wide with a wedge but isn’t disastrous out of his right grain out of his right it’s one of those from this kind of range which is about 25 feet that he’ll look

At and like he’ll like what he sees so a decent chance hello and he takes it on his own minus five now mroy these are good birdies to make he unscrews the driver he leaves the wedges to the right hit to about 25 ft which was pretty mediocre for him and makes a

Big butt on the first maroy yeah in his in his mind I’m not sure he’s hit a good shot on that hole but doesn’t matter when your hole from 25 ft don’t want to go left wet stuff and thickish rough but if you do find the

Fairway with a flag over there on the left hand side a little bit of hurt in the air only about 3 or four yards of it it’s a birdie hole find the shorts off and you can make a three no problem scoring is going to be seriously low this week 3/4 five w

With a divot Ken that’s a beautiful shot just 75% lovely delightfully played just a wedge Ferrari mooy left one 25 ft right on the last he’ll sort that out this will be a lot better than that what a wonderful line yeah delightful nice lazy Rhythm just laid the club on the back the

Ball now birdie chance little cross grain little down grain as well Laing far enough to the right but you start reading these greens well and getting a bit of confidence you could hold a lot of parts certainly giving himself a lot of looks out there today and on third short path four drove

It just short of the green play a long release bet shot to here makes another one there the ball’s well above his feet he’s got himself a little fivewood so he’s trying to tr this out and as I said it’s the same situation for Rory maroy miss it left to

Open up the anger you don’t want to miss it right aiming W right to sling it from right to left sometimes grass between Club face the ball and it shoots straight right on you this is knuckled I tell you why it’s perfect now great shot yeah that knuckle ball just

Bitched into the heavy rough and actually killed it just to finish just about all high what about a chipping Rory the LI is perfect I go just got a little high on the club face it’s all right but just a little high to deaden soften the blo did

Well to get there just sounded a little bit you know grass before Ball but where he lives in Florida down there in West Palm Beach this is what he plays on all the time so he’s very much at home with this type of grass feeling it today with the putter is Rory maroy

Oh just sweet sweet smooth as a driven snow he moves seven under par blemish free round and leads by one one thing that’s awkward is set all the way back so you don’t want to get too aggressive you want to leave it just shy of it just see the flag the wind freshening

A bit just cut the ball into it it’s expecting the breeze to help it a fraction more but quality strike not a ripple Ken on the creek right to left Ferrari ma as I am commentating from the manmade tea on the 6th out in the creek right to left downhill now

Oh probably one of the most expensive teas that has ever been made on the 6th Heavens knows how many di dabs that cost think there’s lots of zeros on it and also a lot of gold balls that find the water after people playing from it a little bit of luck same sort of

Club probably be a three on that’s all you need a three on and a wedge or a 9 on it’s a hold your jockey for position Fairway the slopes right to left so maybe just holding one against the slope just like that 166 so down Breeze that will equate

To a 9 can you get it all the way back Rory maroy to this flag just leaving it under a pretty smart shot he’s been working hard on his game in Florida he’s told me it’s been raining a lot but he’s been out there digging divots

Yeah it was just one of those sort of CB walked up the hill yeah I’m very surprised there rad I thought they would have to move a little bit left from what we’ve seen early in the coverage but it’s a power for rori if you carve a little you’ll run

Out of Fairway on the right hand side so he’ll need to be so precise he’s feeling it today so very confident that was just straight out of the [Applause] screws that looks like a long way down there on seven from maoy huge Drive mroy looking at this this is

Where his great golf comes into play just a smooth wedge cops given a jump a beauty just totally changes the complexion of the hardest hole on the golf course when you can do that that’s what he’s done wobble right again radar you’re on the money you got to be thinking it’s a five

On but you know what I think he might muscle a six and release it somewhat up the green that would be the percentage play play it is quite a firm green we have seen a number of balls bounce like that golf shot he is playing well isn’t he he’s

Missed a couple of Parts as well for that eight under only just not much in this one no it’s bizarre he started that left Edge as you said radar it move move left it’s the grain the grain’s all over the shop out here it’s like a patchwork

Quilt that nanny used to put over you over the top of you if you could afford n oh driver this is not much of a Target trying to take the the sand up the right out of play you drivers are going to make the carry yeah needs to be a big

One better off to be in the bunker Ken than in the rough he just stayed in the rough I think radar yeah if you’re in those bunkers down the right you have a chance just R of it 25 ft R of it would be very good doesn’t want the heel to

Dig in and flip it he’s looking right no this is just bang on it I mean wow what a shotar dear dear dear straight at it is it going to run back Anthony full of confidence oh yeah he’s uh he plays well at the start of the Year obviously

Winning the do by Desert Classic what does he won that three times the DP world over there on the earth he’s won that just a little touchy feely this one 62 what an opening score Rory maoy in 2024 one shy of equaling the course record here at the Dubai Creek Coast

R it looks like there’s no such thing as rust youve taken a little bit of time out but a great opening round of 9 under how was it out there yeah I um I didn’t expect that it it didn’t feel quite as good as that the first couple of days

When I was here and and hitting balls and playing the course um but it was nice to get a card in the hand again and and and sort of feel the competitive juices flowing and um it was a really comfortable grip I you know really like

Playing with Ryan and um the two we had Abdullah and Greg I I know very very well so it was a a really comfortable um sort of pairing and and run the golf out there so yeah um surprised myself a little bit but hopefully more of the see

Him over the next few days speaking of which it was a great day for the team in the office wasn’t it abdilla up there as well and yourself uh you know does that atmosphere help you feel a little bit more relaxed and does it allow you to

Swing your swing yeah I think a little bit um you know all these prams I either play with my dad or or this week I’m playing with the the tournament host so there’s maybe like added pressure there as well to go ahead and perform but um

No it is it’s a it’s a very uh it’s an easy way to sort of get back into things and um you know this is a nice week to to do some extra practice and put some work in so that you know I feel you know

A bit more ready not just for next week which is a obviously a bigger event but also um you know going into the the bulk of the season and what did you make of the test out there obvious there hasn’t been an awful lot of tournament golf

Played here at Dubai Creek yeah so I think when the wind gets up it can get a little bit tricky when the the wind starts coming off the water we played the first 12 or 13 holes basically without any wind and then there was a little wind coming in but um I think

Around the creek you just have to miss it in the right spots there’s there’s some water here and there and um you know I think I did a good job today of like managing my misses and missing it on the right side and then when I did

Hit good shots I was able to take advantage of them did you manage to get that all off off Roy Kean uh yeah I’m sure if I asked him again uh he would oblig but uh we had a good laugh about it and it was uh I had a good time with

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