Henrik Stenson bounces back to keep DP World Tour Championship hopes alive

McIlroy – who went into the season-ending Tour Championship with a narrow 1,614 points lead in the R2D over Willett – said: “All through the year it has been the putter that held me back, I feel like the putter has done well”.

“There’s a lot of good guys going to be chasing me over the weekend and I’m sure they are going to come at me, so for me, it’s just try and do what I did today, be patient and try to play my game and not worry about anyone else”.

“I bogeyed the tenth hole and then got it back with a couple of good birdies straightaway”, he said.

World number three McIlroy was neck-and-neck with Willett after round one following a chip in from the bunker at the 18th on Thursday.

While it may be unfair to Danny Willett to describe his duel with Rory McIlroy in tortoise and hare terms, there is fascination attached to the Englishman’s bid to keep pace with a four-times major victor in Dubai.

“The way I see it, if I win this tournament, I would be very unlucky not to win The Race to Dubai”.

The relentless nature of the modern European Tour means the new season starts with a pair of events in South Africa from November 26 and the Swede will look to play in one of them.

“I missed my drive, and going in with a three-iron, it was always going to be a bit tough”, the 37-year-old said.

Grace is the best placed of the five on -4 but needs to win the tournament or finish outright second to have any chance of top spot. An (seventh in the Race to Dubai), England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (14th) and India’s Anirban Lahiri (19th) are in contention for the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

The 25-year-old Malaysian drained seven birdies at par-72 Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club to hit the front after round one. Perhaps Poulter’s prominence is due in part to a change in approach; a player previously obsessed with his world ranking has opted to ignore a current position of 53rd.

“I saw first hand how well Emiliano is playing but I just have to try and put another solid round in tomorrow and give myself a chance on Sunday”.

Stenson is seeking a third consecutive victory in Dubai but a first win of a season that has produced five runners-up finishes and five other top 10s.

Not bad for a man who spent two years stacking shelves in Asda to fund his golf.

Grillo won the Web.com Tour Championship to close out a successful stint in the Web.com Tour Finals, then won his first event as a PGA Tour member when he captured the Frys.com Open in a playoff. “I’m not quite performing at the levels I would like to”.