Donald sets pace, McIlroy lurks

The world’s top two players seem destined to flex their muscles at the DP World Tour Championship after Luke Donald - winner of the 2011 Race to Dubai - and 2012 champion Rory McIlroy were among several big names to stamp their class on day one of the $8 million tournament staged on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Thursday. World Number Two Donald’s opening salvo of seven birdies in a bogey free 65 (-7) sees him one shot clear of McIlroy, Scotland’s Marc Warren and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain who all carded opening rounds of 66 (-6) on a day that started with a Dubai rainstorm and ended up in golfing sunshine. For Donald, aiming to win his fourth title of the year on a fourth different continent, it was a fitting riposte after having his Race to Dubai crown snatched away by 23 year-old McIlroy less than seven days earlier. But with just three shots covering the top 20 players, the stage is perfectly poised for a tournament that brings the curtain down on The European Tour’s Race to Dubai while living up to its billing as the Greatest Weekend on Earth. “There was a lot more at stake for me last year, so obviously I felt a little bit more pressure then than I do now,” said Donald. “So this week, even though it’s a great event, it feels more like I’m just playing for the tournament. Obviously I don’t have a chance to win The Race to Dubai and win both money titles, so it definitely feels a little bit easier. From Gulf Today