• Dubai World Championship, Round One

McIlroy makes early move as Donald falters

Rory McIlroy recovered from an inconsistent back nine to finish the opening round with a flourish © Getty Images

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Rory McIlroy's quest to top the European Tour's money list is on track after he fired a six-under 66 to finish the opening round two shots adrift of early leader Peter Hanson, while Luke Donald could have let his fate slip out of his hands as he bids to make history at the Dubai World Championship.

For McIlroy to win the Race to Dubai, the Ulsterman must win the season-ending tournament and hope Race leader and world No. 1 Donald - who is bidding for an unprecedented money-list double - finishes outside the top nine.

And after the first round of action it all looks to be falling into place for the US Open champion. It was not looking so rosy at the turn, however, as McIlroy trailed Donald by three strokes and was seven shots off the lead. He lost a ball on only his fifth shot of the day, racking up a double-bogey seven at the second hole and, although he responded by picking up a couple of shots, a bogey at the eighth left him level-par heading for the back nine.

It was a different story coming in, however, when a faultless showing from McIlroy coupled with Donald finding bushes on both the 14th and 15th and then failing to save par at the following hole to consign himself to three consecutive bogeys, saw the tables reverse and McIlroy end the first day with a healthy six-shot lead over his rival.

McIlroy, who is still suffering from a virus and awaiting blood test results, said: "It's sort of taken the pressure off. I'm not 100 per cent and there's nothing I can do about it. I made three silly mistakes on the front nine but stayed patient and the back nine was pretty much flawless.

"I definitely don't feel invincible, but I feel every time I tee it up I have a good chance of shooting a good score."

Donald's round was not all bad, there were glimpses of magic - particularly from the second to the eighth when he picked up four shots, but his performance was littered with uncharacteristic mistakes and a level-par 72 has left him needing a monumental effort to become the first man to top the money list on both the PGA and European Tours.

"I hit a few loose shots," he said. "They came out of the blue a little bit, although there were a couple of times last week when I had that left shot and I've got to keep working on it.

"I felt very much in control and then I lost it, but this course can do that to you. There are a lot of hazards in the middle of fairways, so you aim for one side and if you miss it you can be in the bushes."

Sweden's Hanson was majestic, draining no fewer than eight birdies to sign for a bogey-free 64, although he would have hoped his glorious round would have given him a bit more breathing room over the chasing pack. Scotland's Paul Lawrie is the man hot on his heels, a 65 leaving him only one shot back and well set to pursue a seventh European Tour crown.

Sergio Garcia, chasing a third straight European Tour title, is fourth after a 67 but Lee Westwood endured a frustrating day, posting a one-over 73 that was largely a consequence of a double bogey at the 13th after he had to play his second shot left-handed from the side of a bunker.

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