Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett made a superb return to European Tour action as he posted an opening round of 65 to take a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation.
The Englishman took a month-long break after winning his first Major Championship at Augusta National in April, but showed no signs of rust at The K Club as he reached seven under and opened up a gap on the tournament host.
Willett’s Green Jacket triumph was his second win of the campaign, following victory in Dubai, but McIlroy has also been in sparkling form with five top ten finishes in his five appearances so far – although he has missed the cut at this event in the last three years.
Willett currently leads the defending Race to Dubai champion by more than a million points in the battle to be crowned Europe’s Number One, but after the two took the contest right to the wire last season, 2016 could again evolve into an intriguing battle between the pair.
The Yorkshireman mixed eight birdies with a bogey, whilst McIlroy also only dropped the one shot in his round of 67.
Callum Shinkwin and Jaco Van Zyl shared third place on four under par, one shot clear of defending champion Søren Kjeldsen, two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher, who all signed for rounds of 69.
Danny Willett: “It was nice, we probably got a bit lucky with the weather but seven under out there is a fantastic score.
“It’s a fantastic golf course, every hole’s different. There are a few really challenging holes, and a few good, fun holes. They can move the tees around and make it a completely different golf course, and for the time of year it’s in fantastic condition.
“The support was massive. You get clapped onto tees, and clapped onto greens. Even if you’re playing badly, you can’t not enjoy it out there.”
Rory McIlroy: “It would be amazing if I could get my first win of the year here. I get goosebumps thinking about it, so I can’t really think about it too much just now. No matter what the circumstances are, whether I’ve won the week before or whether I haven’t won in six months, to win the Irish Open would be something very special, and I’ve got off to a great start this week. I just have to keep playing the way I did today.”
“I tried to really focus on being 100 per cent ready when the gun went off there on the first tee, and I felt like I did that pretty well for the most part. I hit the ball well from tee-to-green, and took a few of my chances. I basically did everything I wanted to, and I feel like five under is a fair reflection of how I played today.
Martin Kaymer: “It was very difficult, it was a little gusty and it was raining hard. It was difficult to hit the fairways, because you had so much water on the club face. The golf course played fairly long, so overall shooting three under par is a great round.”
Soren Kjeldsen: “The eagle on the last felt great and it put a smile on my face, that’s for sure. I hit a great drive, a great second shot, and then a beautiful putt, so it was a nice way to finish.
“The wind was pretty strong today, on the last hole Rory hit a nine-iron 115 yards and 185 on another hole. But the course was playing beautifully.”
