Fitzpatrick and Hatton share World Tour lead

DUBAI: Tyrrell Hatton bogeyed the final hole on Thursday to end the first round of the Us$10mil (Rm45.5mil) DP World Tour Championship tied with Matthew Fitzpatrick on seven-under 65.

Fitzpatrick made a sensational start, with birdies in his first five holes on the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates.

He picked up only two more shots in the remaining 13 holes as he finished with a bogey-free round of 65.

Fellow Englishman Hatton was furious after his tee shot on the par-5 18th hole found the fairway bunker before closing with a bogey.

“My mind is just raging at the last there,” he said. “But it is what it is. It’s such a good hole from the forward tees and I can’t understand why they should use the back tees.”

The tournament features the top50 players in the Race to Dubai. Rory Mcilroy is leading on 4,154.1 points with Ryan Fox 128.1 points away in second. Fitzpatrick is third and Tommy Fleetwood fourth.

World number one Mcilroy, bidding to become only the second player after Sweden’s Henrik Stenson to win the Fedex Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season, faltered after a bright start of two birdies in the first three holes and closed at one-under 71.

New Zealander Fox finished on one-over par 73.