DUBAI: Lee Westwood made light of his regular caddie’s absence to post a six under par 66 and lead the DP World Tour Championship by one shot on Thursday as Rory McIlroy struggled.
The Englishman’s long-time bagman Billy Foster has been advised to rest his injured knee, but that did not affect the world 47, who is looking for his first win of the year.
He started the opening round with three birdies on the front nine, and made another four on the back along with a bogey on the 12th hole.
Julien Quesne of France and Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium were a stroke behind the inaugural 2009 champion at Dubai’s Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“Billy normally thinks for me,” said Westwood. “I probably have to do more this week, think a little bit more, which is probably a good thing,” added Westwood when asked about having someone new on his bag.
“Obviously a different caddie doesn’t know my game. He’s only had one round on the bag. He’s sort of making it up as he goes along.
“I have full confidence in him, and his yardages and the way he reads the wind and stuff like that. Put my game to his information.”
Spain’s Sergio Garcia made a late double bogey, on the par-4 16th hole, to fall to four-under par 68, tied fourth alongside Joost Luiten and Francesco Molinari.
With none of the four players contesting the Race to Dubai crown managing to get a fast start, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson remained the favorite despite a poor round of 72 by his standards.
But world No2 McIlroy had an even bigger shocker, recording his first over-par round in the tournament, a three-over 75.
Danny Willett, who needs to finish inside the top-5 to have any chance of beating Stenson to the European No1 honor, shot a one-under par 71, which matched Alex Noren’s effort.
Willet and Noren are ranked second and third in the Race to Dubai at the start of the final week of the European Tour season.
Stenson, who made just one birdie and one bogey, said: “You know, the couple of good putts didn’t go in, and of course, the bad ones normally don’t find the bottom of the cup.
“I stayed out of trouble most of the day but nothing too exciting either to play or to watch. Hopefully, I can turn that around and play a better round tomorrow.”
McIlroy, who made three birdies and a double bogey in his last five holes, did not speak to the media. He was whisked away for random dope test following the round.
Westwood meanwhile was delighted with the way he played in tough scoring conditions on a day when only 32 players managed to break par.
“This is as good as I’ve played for quite some time. I’ve found a couple of keys in different parts of my game and I’ve been working on them hard. All came together today.”
Westwood leads in Dubai, McIlroy struggles
Westwood leads in Dubai, McIlroy struggles
Real Madrid victory in Super Cup semi-final sets up fourth consecutive El Clásico in Saudi Arabia
- Early Valverde rocket set the tone for a physical encounter in front of a packed Al-Inma Stadium
- 55,651 fans attended the match, topping Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao’s crowd by more than 5,000
JEDDAH: While Wednesday saw a sea of blue and red take over Al-Inma Stadium, Thursday belonged almost entirely to the colour white. The second semi-final of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup pitted Madrid Derby rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid against each other in a fiercely contested encounter that ignited within the opening two minutes and ended with a 2-1 victory to Real Madrid.
In the first minute of the game, Real Madrid won a free kick from a position that appeared harmless, but Federico Valverde had other ideas. The Uruguayan unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that flew into the net, sending the stadium into raptures almost immediately.
Despite the early breakthrough, Real Madrid did not dominate proceedings. Atlético controlled much of the shot count, pushing relentlessly as they attempted to overcome the forged “home” advantage enjoyed by their city rivals in Jeddah.
That advantage was not driven solely by Saudi supporters. Ahead of kick-off, official broadcaster Thmanyah Sports got hold of a Real Madrid fan from Iraq who praised the organisation of the event and thanked Saudi Arabia for providing fans from across the region the opportunity to watch their team live.
Atlético didn’t plan on sending those fans home with a smile. They forced Thibaut Courtois into action on multiple occasions, with his save from a corner mid-way into the first half proving key in preserving Real’s lead.
Real did get close to doubling their advantage in the 27th minute when Rodrygo found himself through on goal, executing a trademark Ronaldo chop to beat his marker before being denied by Jan Oblak.
Atlético resumed their push after the break. In the 49th minute, they looked to find Julián Álvarez with a dangerous cross, but Antonio Rüdiger reacted sharply to step in and clear.
Once again, it was Real Madrid’s individual quality that made the difference. Valverde split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, releasing Rodrygo, who calmly slotted past Oblak in the 55th minute.
Atlético responded with increased vigour almost immediately. A slick move down the right flank culminated in a cross from Giuliano Simeone, which Alexander Sørloth powered home beyond Raúl Asencio in the 58th minute to bring the contest back to life.
As Atlético pushed for an equaliser, the Real Madrid fans rallied behind their team with chants familiar to Jeddah. Borrowing from one of Al-Ahli’s most popular anthems — one that engulfed Middle Eastern football in recent years — the crowd sang in unison: “For Real we came, from every city.”
Atlético were not fazed, as they came agonisingly close to levelling soon after. Antoine Griezmann produced a spectacular overhead kick from close range, only for Courtois to make another vital save. Moments later, Marcos Llorente broke through on the right once more, but his effort drifted wide.
Llorente continued to threaten, curling another attempt — this time from outside the box — but once again failed to find the target as Atlético searched desperately for a way back into the game.
Ultimately, Real Madrid managed to emerge unscathed, as they held on for the 2-1 victory.
Sunday will see the Al-Inma Stadium host once again, as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the fourth consecutive El Clásico Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona won the first encounter in 2023, followed by a 4-1 victory by Real in 2024, before Barcelona rallied to a 5-2 victory in the 2025 edition.
