Rory McIlroy finishes birdie-eagle-birdie to share Dubai lead with Patrick Reed

Two-time winner Rory McIlroy produced a sensational finish to the disrupted opening round to set the clubhouse target in the $9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Following a delay of just over six hours on Thursday due to flooding, McIlroy still had three holes to complete on Friday morning and resumed sitting on two-under-par - three shots behind Belgian Thomas Pieters.

After another two-hour delay following more rain overnight in the UAE, the world No 1 went birdie-eagle-birdie at the end of the tougher front nine on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club.

Playing in the same group as Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Fox, McIlroy rolled in a four-footer for a 2 at the short seventh before holing out with a 54-degree wedge from 114 yards from the desert for an eagle-2 at the next.

Rory McIlroy celebrates after holing out for an eagle 2 on the eighth hole at Emirates Golf Club in the delayed opening round the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

His drive at the tough par-4 ninth missed the fairway on the right but, from 159 yards, he knocked his approach to around four feet and knocked in the putt to round off a brilliant burst.

“Honestly not very good,” said McIlroy in reply to being asked to sum up his opening effort. “I struggled out there most of yesterday. I thought I did well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy rusty golf over the first sort of 14 holes.

“And then, yeah, today I came out and I don't really know if anything clicked because I don't think I hit enough shots to know. But it was definitely needed. I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus.”

His smile lit up as he was then asked about the eighth. “You know, I wouldn't say I'm the best fairway bunker player in the world. The desert is a little nicer, it's a little more packed down, so you get some better lies,” he said.

“All I was thinking about was catching it clean. My tendency out of those lies is to hit it a little bit heavy. As soon as I struck it - went down the grip a little bit just to make sure of the strike - I knew it came out really nicely and it was right down the pin. Again, anything inside of 20 feet, I would have been happy with, so that was certainly a bonus.”

McIlroy’s opening effort was matched by Patrick Reed, who also made an eagle - his one came from 15 feet at the 18th as he played the opposite way around - on his return this morning.

“I'm obviously really happy with the way I played,” said the 2018 Masters champion, who reckoned a missed cut in last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship had been purely down to feeling “rusty” with a card in his hand.

Reed and McIlroy, of course, have been at the centre of the big talking point in golf this week after an incident on the range earlier in the week, when Reed tossed a tee in McIlroy’s direction after approaching him to say ‘hello’ but being ignored.

McIlroy explained the next day that he hadn’t seen what has been dubbed ‘TeeGate’ but he said he didn’t really want to speak to the American after getting a subpoena from Reed’s lawyer in his defamation case against the PGA Tour among others.

Reed said on Thursday that he felt the spat had been “nothing”, but the prospect of the pair going head-to-head at some point over the weekend is now a distinct possibility.

Edinburgh-based Frenchman Victor Perez maintained his strong start to 2023 by carding a 67 to sit alongside Belgian Pieters and Spaniard Adri Arnaus.

Perez picked up three-and-a-half points from four in the inaugural Hero Cup a fortnight ago before winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last Sunday.

“Really good,” said the 30-year-old of a bogey-free opening effort here. “Obviously I was playing well going into the week but it's never easy because obviously there's maybe a bit more expectation.

“You haven't got maybe as good of a preparation as you're used to because I had a few things to do at the start of the week which I wasn't used to, but I'll take it. Yeah, really happy with the start.”

Playing the same way as Reed, Connor Syme finished birdie-bogey-birdie to sign for a 68, two less than Bob MacIntyre after he parred the ninth on his return this morning.

It seems as though the plan is to get the first round finished by the close of play on Friday followed by the second round on Sunday then 36 holes on Sunday.