McIlroy and Westwood locked together

Lee Westwood gave playing partner Rory McIlroy something to think about with four birdies in five holes midway through his Dubai World Championship first round today.

But the Northern Ireland star was quick to hit back and, with four holes to go, they were locked together.

The burst had lifted Westwood into a tie for fourth place, three behind Australian Robert Allenby, and boosted his chances of knocking McIlroy off top spot again in this the final week of the European Tour’s money list race.

But McIlroy, at 20 trying to become the youngest Order of Merit winner since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, birdied the 11th and 13th and, on the long next, he had a birdie to Westwood’s bogey six.

When both then picked up strokes on the 15th, they shared fourth spot again.

As for Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher, the other two players in with a chance of a £1.6m (€1.8m) tournament and bonus pool jackpot on Sunday, they stood one under and level par respectively – Fisher after having the only double-bogey six of the day on the opening hole.

Allenby’s seven-under 65 on the new Earth course designed by his compatriot Greg Norman put him one in front of England’s Chris Wood and Colombian Camilo Villegas, while Padraig Harrington was in the group two further back.

Wood made a sparkling return after tearing ankle ligaments falling down some steps in Spain a month ago.

The 21-year-old, third at the Open in July, turned in 34 and then covered the “Golden Mile” closing four-hole stretch with four successive birdies.

And that after his ankle began to hurt again on the 15th tee.

Wood said: “That’s the first time I’ve played 18 holes since the injury. I was on crutches for two and a half weeks but it’s recovered well.

“The ankle started aching on the 15th tee and I thought, ’I’ll take one under for the closing stretch’, but I managed to birdie every one.”

The stretch is known as the “Golden Mile” and designer Greg Norman said he expected it to be: “One of the most challenging and exciting miles of golf in terms of risk and reward.”

Wood certainly got the reward, pitching to six feet on the 15th, making eight-footers on the next two and then hitting his approach to six feet at the 620-yard last.

McIlroy will take the title regardless of how he plays if Westwood finishes outside the top seven, Kaymer the top four and Fisher the top two.

But, with a first prize of nearly £745,000 (€834,000), McIlroy, Westwood and Kaymer all went into the event knowing victory would also bring them the added bonus of nearly £900,000 (€1m).