Rory McIlroy’s First Round of 2024 Was a Bogey-Free 62

It looks like Rory McIlroy won’t be needing to shake off much rust as he kickstarts his 2024 season in Dubai. 

A 9-under 62 has the Northern Irishman leading the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort by two shots, with Yannik Paul in solo second place at 7 under. Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard, two of McIlroy’s European Ryder Cup teammates, sit four and five strokes back, respectively. 

McIlroy, who is playing in this week’s pro-am event with the tournament host, was pleasantly surprised with how he came out of the gates. The event is McIlroy’s first start since the DP World Tour Championship, which concluded on Nov. 18. His round of 62 was bogey-free. 

“I didn’t expect that,” McIlroy said. “It didn’t feel quite as good as that the first couple of days when I was here and hitting balls and playing the course.”

McIlroy is making his first start of 2024 at the Dubai Invitational. 

David Cannon/Getty Images

The four-time major champion might not have anticipated it, but he seemed to bounce right back into mid-season form from the moment he teed off on Thursday. He birdied three of his first four competitive holes of the year. 

“It was nice to get a card in the hand again and sort of feel the competitive juices flowing,” he said.

“This is a nice week to do some extra practice and put some work in so that I feel a bit more ready not just for next week ... but also into the bulk of the season.” 

McIlroy has made it clear that his schedule will be structured a bit differently this season. He intends to play more ahead of the Masters in particular, as his team has noticed that he typically gets hot later in the calendar year—and that might be the reason for his struggles at Augusta National. Rather than playing six or seven events ahead of the first major of the season, McIlroy intends to play nine or 10. 

“I’ll hopefully be a bit sharper and know exactly where my game really is,” he told Golf Digest earlier this week. 

If Thursday’s round was any indication, McIlroy looks to be on the right path for a strong 2024.