Last man into the restricted field of 50, Dutchman Joost Luiten was the surprise leader of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday. Image courtesy DPWT.
By Rahul Banerji
Dutchman Joost Luiten fired his lowest round at the Earth Course since 2016 for a one-shot lead over an unfamiliar-looking leaderboard in the opening round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday.
As the last man to earn his place in the 50-man field, Luiten hit the opening tee shot and set the pace on his way to a 5 under par 67 with Jacob Skov Olesen (68) in sole second, the DPWT said.
Heading into the week at 56th on the Race to Dubai Rankings, the Dutchman said he had nothing to lose as he carded seven birdies against two bogeys.
Following an opening par, Luiten made back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and another at the fifth to move out in front of playing partner Victor Perez, who had also made two birdies in his first three holes.
The six-time DP World Tour winner capped an opening nine of 31 with back-to-back birdies to reach five-under at the turn, before bouncing back from bogeys at 11 and 12 with another gain at 13.
Closing gain
A final birdie of the day at the last led him to an opening 67.
“Had a great front 9, you know, 5-under after 9, and then you hope you can push on,” the Dutchman said later.
“But the wind picked up, and I made two annoying bogeys on 11 and 12, which especially on 11 wasn’t really needed. But, you know, it happens in these conditions.
“And I’m quite happy finishing 5-under because coming in it’s tricky.
“The wind picked up, and there’s just a couple of really tricky holes on there. Like 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 are just tricky holes into the wind. So, you know, you’ve got to hit some good shots there and keep it in the fairway.
“And, you know, I made two little mistakes, and then all of a sudden you’ve got two bogeys. But that’s this golf course.”
While Luiten isn’t in the running for the Race to Dubai title, he is projected to move as high as fourth, which would guarantee him one of the ten cards offering dual membership on the PGA Tour next season.
High stakes
Another player with plenty to play for this week is Olesen, who also birdied his final hole of the day for a 4 under 68.
One shot behind Luiten following a front-nine 31, Olesen briefly held a share of the lead after a birdie at 11 before handing back shots at both 12 and 15 to sit two behind heading to the last hole.
At tenth in the Race to Dubai, Olesen is one of nine players who could end this week as the season-long champion, though he needs to win the tournament to have a chance at scooping both honours this week.
“It was very solid, especially the first 11 holes. Got quite scruffy there for basically the rest of the back nine, except for 18,” the Dane said.
“I’m very pleased with how I grinded it out, but also with some of the good stuff left in there.
“I think I was lucky and privileged to get some starts in a couple of DP events, and obviously also the Open whilst I was an amateur.
“So once I got through Q school and got out here as a pro, I was at least a little more comfortable.
“And I tested my level against the guys I was going to compete against and had seen that I could do that when I finished fifth in Denmark as an amateur.”
In the hunt
Rory McIlroy headlined a group one shot further back, alongside Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott and Francesco Laporta, having made a birdie on his final hole to card an opening 69.
McIlroy needs to finish solo fourth or higher to have a chance of overtaking rankings leader Eugenio Chacarra and matching Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight Order of Merit titles.
The six-time Major winner mixed five birdies with two bogeys during his opening round, and had a chance for eagle at the last — which would have moved him into a tie for second — but his effort came up short.
“Very pleased (with the round). As you said, it was tricky. Windier than it usually is,” the world no. 2 said afterwards.
“And then I think with the golf course setup this week, with the more punishing rough, especially off the tee, some of the crosswinds off tees, I felt like I did well to hit most of the fairways.
“Once you start missing fairways here, you really make it difficult for yourself.
“So, yeah, anything in the 60s today I felt was a good score. And sort of held it together nicely when I needed to.
Well-placed
“It was nice to finish with a birdie at the last, and obviously in a pretty good position going into the next few days.”
Race to Dubai leader Chacarra, who is making just his second appearance at the season finale, had mixed fortunes on day one, making four birdies and four bogeys for a level par 72.
“It was tough. Obviously, playing in the last group, the wind was out there, the greens weren’t as good as in the morning. So we knew it was going to be a long day,” the 2026 Indian Open winner noted.
“Proud of the fight. Obviously, a lot of things to do better. I think maybe a couple of mistakes strategy-wise.
“And then, yeah, all my bogeys. It’s like I’m making birdies, I’m playing good, the good’s good, I just need to be able to clean the card a little in the next couple of days.
“I mean, I’m playing against the best players in the world. So they have more experience, and they have played this course a million more times. I think whatever it brings, it brings.
Elsewhere, Kota Kaneko was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year as the sole rookie to make it to the final event of the season.
Niklas Norgaard made a hole-in-one at the par three 13th to walk away with one million Emirates Skywards Miles.
Leading round 1 scores
67 J. LUITEN (NED),
68 J. OLESEN (DEN),
69 V. PEREZ (FRA), G. DE LEO (ITA), F. SCHOTT (GER), F. LAPORTA (ITA), R. MCILROY (NIR),
70 A. OTAEGUI (UAE), J. CAMPILLO (ESP), M. JORDAN (ENG), K. REITAN (NOR), D. BRADBURY (ENG), D. PUIG (ESP), O. LINDELL (FIN), T. HATTON (ENG),
71 A. SCOTT (AUS), C. HILL (SCO), M. ARMITAGE (ENG), S. NORRIS (RSA), J. DEAN (ENG), D. HILLIER (NZL), J. RAHM (ESP),
Also read: Rory McIlroy chases Monty, history at Race to Dubai finale
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.