Lowry four off impressive leader Lawrie

Ireland's Shane Lowry is just four off the lead, on three under with two to play, of Paul Lawrie who leads on seven under in the clubhouse.

Graeme Mc Dowell is one under after three, Michael Hoey is level par after seven and Darren Clarke is one over after two.

Lawrie began the Dubai World Championship with a seven under par 65 today - and Luke Donald probably did not mind in the least.

Only a Rory McIlroy victory in the last event of the European Tour season can stop Donald completing an unprecedented double of money list titles on both sides of the Atlantic in the same year.

Former Open champion Lawrie, who in Spain in March had his first win for nine years, was making his debut in a tournament reserved for the top 60 earners each season and began his run with 15-foot putts on the fifth and sixth.

The Aberdeen golfer then chipped close at the long seventh, made a 30-footer to complete an outward 32 and then collected more birdies at the 10th, 11th and 626-yard 14th.

With Donald and McIlroy waiting to tee off, he was three clear of England’s Ross Fisher, whose round included an eagle two on the 371-yard 15th.

“I gave myself an awful lot of chances – my iron play was fabulous,” said Lawrie, who spent all day Monday working on his game after finishing the Hong Kong Open at the weekend with a five-over-par 75.

“The flight got in at 4.30am, I went to the hotel for a shower, was on the range by seven and didn’t get to the hotel until four or five in the afternoon.

“Sometimes you need a day like that. My boys are 16 and 12 now and I don’t want them to see Dad being a poor player.

“I want to be in the top 50 in the world.” He is currently 93rd.

The 58-strong field – Justin Rose and Fredrik Jacobson are not playing – was further reduced to 57 when Korean YE Yang pulled out after four holes with a neck injury.

Dane Thomas Bjorn has the same problem, but decided to give it a go and parred the first.

The players teed off in reverse order of their Order of Merit positions in the opening round and that meant Donald and McIlroy, world number one and world number two respectively and top two on the “Race to Dubai” as well, were last out at 12.30pm local time.

Even if McIlroy wins on Sunday Donald would still take the money list crown with a top nine finish.

Twice number one Ernie Els, meanwhile, was down on two over after a double bogey six on the 10th and defending champion Robert Karlsson only one over.

Els needs a top four finish to have a chance of climbing back into the world’s top 50 just in time to earn an invitation for next April’s Masters, while at 52nd on the Tour money list this could be his worst year on the circuit since 1992, his first full season.

There was also a possibility that he could lose his position as the Tour’s leading career money-winner to Lee Westwood, but that was the least of his concerns.