Paul McGinley makes big Rory McIlroy claim after Round 1 at the DP World Tour Championship

Paul McGinley has called Rory McIlroy the “best edition” of himself after the World No. 2 got off to a strong start at the DP World Tour Championship.McIlroy opened with a six-under 66 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, putting himself in contention for a fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title.

The Northern Irishman made seven birdies and a lone bogey at the par-3 4th to finish the round six under par. He sits tied for third with Thriston Lawrence and Andy Sullivan, two shots behind Michael Kim, who leads after Thursday.

McGinley praised McIlroy’s consistency, saying:

“The best edition of Rory McIlroy that I've seen...We haven't seen the sheer consistency right through his game that we're seeing right now.” “Today, what I loved about him more than anything was he played within himself, and he picked his battles in terms of scoring against the golf course. When there was water in play, he was well clear of it. When there wasn't water in play and he got a wedge in his hand, he dialed it in. It was very impressive.”

Rory McIlroy has enjoyed a strong 2025 season, winning five tournaments, including the Irish Open, and helping his team to Ryder Cup success. He did struggle briefly after his Masters win, missing the cut at the Canadian Open, but has regained his form ahead of the season finale.

In the first round, Rory McIlroy also showed strong stats across the board. He ranked second in driving distance at 329 yards and hit 57.1 percent of fairways, placing 29th. His approach game was excellent, hitting 88.9 percent of greens in regulation, while he averaged 28 putts per round and 1.6 per GIR, ranking 11th and third in the field, respectively.

When will Rory McIlroy tee off in Round 2 of the DP World Tour Championship?

The second round of the DP World Tour Championship will begin at 8:15 AM local time. Rory McIlroy is scheduled to play alongside Brandon Robinson-Thompson, teeing off at 12:20 PM.

Here is the complete list of tee times and pairings for Round 2:

• 08:15 AM – Jordan Smith and Joakim Lagergren
• 08:25 AM – Marco Penge and Kristoffer Reitan
• 08:35 AM – Li Haotong and Elvis Smylie
• 08:45 AM – Shaun Norris and Adrien Saddier
• 08:55 AM – Aaron Rai and Martin Couvra
• 09:05 AM – Patrick Reed and Richard Mansell
• 09:15 AM – Eugenio Chacarra and Calum Hill
• 09:30 AM – Oliver Lindell and Johannes Veerman
• 09:40 AM – Ludvig Åberg and John Parry
• 09:50 AM – Jacques Kruyswijk and Joost Luiten
• 10:00 AM – Marcus Armitage and Tyrrell Hatton
• 10:10 AM – Keita Nakajima and Angel Ayora
• 10:20 AM – Rasmus Højgaard and Nacho Elvira
• 10:30 AM – Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Kazuma Kobori
• 10:45 AM – Ewen Ferguson and Tom McKibbin
• 10:55 AM – Jorge Campillo and Robert MacIntyre
• 11:05 AM – Matt Fitzpatrick and Jayden Schaper
• 11:15 AM – Connor Syme and Alex Noren
• 11:25 AM – Laurie Canter and Daniel Brown
• 11:35 AM – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Justin Rose
• 11:50 AM – Grant Forrest and Jacob Skov Olesen
• 12:00 PM – Matthew Jordan and Shane Lowry
• 12:10 PM – Daniel Hillier and Nicolai Højgaard
• 12:20 PM – Brandon Robinson-Thompson and Rory McIlroy
• 12:30 PM – Thriston Lawrence and Andy Sullivan
• 12:40 PM – Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Kim

Edited by Sonali Verma