Eugenio Chacarra remains projected to top the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World while nearest challenger Rory McIlroy made a strong start to his bid for a record-tying eighth Order of Merit title during the opening round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The pair, who teed off in the final group together on Thursday, have it all to play for this week but it was World Number Two McIlroy who posted the better score of the day, mixing five birdies with two bogeys for an opening three-under 69 to sit in a share of third for the tournament.
The Northern Irishman had a chance for eagle at the last but his effort to move into a tie for second came up just short, which would have pushed him to the top of the projected rankings above Chacarra, who signed for a level-par 72.
Settling for a birdie, McIlroy - who needs to finish fourth or higher to have a chance at the Harry Vardon Trophy - sits two behind first-round leader Joost Luiten, and one behind Jacob Skov Olesen in a group that also contains Victor Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott and Francesco Laporta.
"Very pleased," said McIlroy, who arrived in Dubai following a third place finish in Abu Dhabi.
"As you said, it was tricky. Windier than it usually is. 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, but 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. It was nice to finish with a birdie at the last, and obviously in a pretty good position going into the next few days."
Chacarra, who is playing in his 31st event of the year and has a chance to become just the third Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai, said he was proud of his composure in the windy conditions but needed 'to do a couple of things better' if he wants to realise that dream come Sunday evening.
Teeing up in the season finale for just the second time in his career, the three-time winner in 2026 currently sits in a tie for 23rd, having opened his account in Dubai with four birdies and four bogeys.
His steady start was interrupted by a dropped shot at the fourth, but he bounced back with a birdie at the next before handing another shot back just a hole later. An impressive spell saw him find his groove with three birdies on the bounce to end his opening nine, but he was unable to keep that momentum as he dropped two more shots at 13 and 15 on the way in.
The Spaniard, who is 533.93 points ahead of nearest challenger McIlroy, could technically finish last and still finish the week at the top but is ready to reset and focus on what he needs to do.
"It was tough," he said afterwards.
"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. Yeah, proud of the fight.
"Obviously, a lot of things to do better. I think maybe a couple of mistakes strategy-wise. Made a bogey on 13 that I thought I was in the right spot, and you can't really be short of that pin because with the conditions and the wind, with the down-grain, it was almost impossible to leave your putt close.
"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 know I need to do a couple of things better to be able to have a chance on Sunday, and that's what I'm going to focus on. I think if I fix those, a little strategy-wise and I can putt a little better, I think I'm going to have a chance on Sunday. So I'm excited to keep going tomorrow."
