Seeking a top-two finish that could see him wrap up his sixth Race to Dubai win before next week’s DP World Tour Championship finale, the world No 3 was tied for 14th place in his first event for four weeks.
He spent three of those weeks working in a swing studio, hitting balls at a screen without looking at his ball flight and was not displeased.
“Overall, it felt pretty good,” said McIlroy, who followed his lone bogey at the par-three 17th with a closing birdie four.
“I’ve gotten comfortable with doing this sort of rehearsal before I take the club back and it felt fine.
“I probably wasn’t as imaginative out there. I was hitting very straight shots and I hit a couple where I didn’t really see the picture of what I was trying to do with the ball flight just because I was thinking a little bit too much on what I was doing with the swing.
“But overall, I’m quite fortunate that it’s a nice week to come back because there’s not too much wind and it’s pretty wide off the tee, so I feel like I can concentrate more on what I’m trying to do with the motion.”
Fleetwood (33) made eight birdies and an eagle in a course record-equalling 10-under 62 to lead by a shot at Yas Links from former Ryder Cup team-mate Thorbjorn Olesen and American Johannes Veerman.
“When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well,” said Fleetwood, who could move to second in the rankings.
McIlroy matched South African ThristonLawrence, his nearest rival in the Race to Dubai, as third-ranked Rasmus Hojgaard shot 66 to share 11th.
Tom McKibbin, who is 11th in the race for 10 PGA Tour cards, made five birdies in a 68 top share 28th but fell three spots in the projected ranking as Shane Lowry’s bogey-free 69 left him joint 35th.
At Infinitum Golf in Tarragona, Gary Hurley, Dermot McElroy and amateur Max Kennedy tee it up at the Final Stage of the DP World Tour Q-School today, bidding to finish in the top 20 and ties who will be awarded ‘conditional’ cards after six rounds.
They must first make the top 65 and ties to make the 72-hole cut.
Abu Dhabi HSBC C’ship, 3.30am World Wide Technology C’ship, 7pm Charles Schwab Cup C’ship, 10pm (all live on Sky Sports)
