At the World Golf Championships, Rory McIlroy has started his duel against Marco Penge strongly, displaying clear superiority. McIlroy carded a 6-under-par round with seven birdies, while Penge, the young competitor looking to overtake the veteran in the Race to Dubai standings, struggled with a 74 in the first round.
Penge's birdie on the 18th hole allowed him to avoid last place among the 52 players participating in this final event of the 2025 European season, giving him an idea of what it takes to reach McIlroy's level. Meanwhile, American Michael Kim leads the standings with a bogey-free round of 64, one stroke ahead of Tommy Fleetwood, who also had a strong performance with seven birdies and a 65.
The fight for the title
McIlroy, tied for third with Andy Sullivan and Thriston Lawrence, is on course to be crowned European No. 1 for the fourth consecutive time and seventh of his career, just one shy of Colin Montgomerie's record. “I had a solid start on a course where I feel very comfortable and where I have historically played well,” said McIlroy, who shot his 15th round of 66 or better at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Penge's problems
In contrast, Penge was playing his first competitive round on this course, which showed in some of his decisions. He made five bogeys in a ten-hole stretch starting on the 5th, the last coming on the par-5 14th after a poor shot from the fairway. However, he did manage a birdie on the final hole, though that left him eight strokes behind McIlroy.
Penge, who last year was outside the world's top 400 and had just secured his European Tour card, is exceeding preseason expectations by sitting second in the Race to Dubai, approximately 767 points behind McIlroy. To catch him, he needs to win and for McIlroy to finish worse than second, or tie for second and for the Northern Irishman to drop in the standings.
McIlroy's short game
McIlroy started strong, sinking two six-foot putts and then an 18-foot birdie putt on his first three holes, maintaining his lead as Penge, who had been ill earlier in the week, began to falter. Three birdies in his first five holes extended the gap between the two players. Even when McIlroy missed the tee, as on the 15th, he managed to save par.
“I felt like it was one of my best rounds in terms of approach play in a long time,” he said. “My wedge game was very accurate. I had a lot of good iron shots. I don’t want to sound disappointed, but I feel like I left some shots on the course.”.
Tyrrell Hatton, who is third in the Race to Dubai, needs to win to have any chance of the title, and also requires McIlroy to finish worse than a tie for eighth with another player. Hatton started his round with a 70, leaving him six strokes behind the leader.
