Joost Luiten, the last man to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, fired a five-under 67 at the Earth Course in Dubai on 13 November 2026 to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the season-ending event. It was the Dutchman's lowest round at the venue since 2016, and it arrived from arguably the most unlikely source in the 50-man field.

How Luiten Built His Lead

Luiten, who had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot of the week, made back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes before adding another at the fifth. He then closed out a stunning front nine with consecutive birdies to reach five-under at the turn — a nine-hole score of 31.

The back nine brought challenges as the wind strengthened, and Luiten dropped shots at the 11th and 12th. But he recovered with a birdie at the 13th and sealed his day with a final gain at the 18th, finishing with seven birdies and two bogeys. Heading into the week ranked 56th on the Race to Dubai Rankings, the six-time Tour winner now projects as high as fourth — a position that would earn him dual membership on the PGA Tour next season.

'I said to my caddie, bro, we can only go up this week, you know? We're last in, we've got nothing to lose, so let's go for it. And it worked out so far,' Luiten said.

Olesen One Back, Race to Dubai Wide Open

Jacob Skov Olesen carded a four-under 68 to sit one shot off the lead. Olesen, ranked tenth in the Race to Dubai, briefly shared the lead after a birdie at the 11th before bogeys at the 12th and 15th pegged him back. A closing birdie at the last rescued a strong round. Notably, Olesen is one of nine players still in contention for the season-long Race to Dubai title, though he would need to win the tournament outright to claim both honours.

McIlroy Among the Chasers

Rory McIlroy headlines a group at three-under 69, alongside Victor Perez, Gregorio De Leo, Freddy Schott, and Francesco Laporta. McIlroy mixed five birdies with two bogeys and had an eagle opportunity at the last that could have moved him into a tie for second, but his effort came up short. The six-time Major winner needs to finish solo fourth or higher to have a chance of overtaking Race to Dubai leader Alejandro del Rey Chacarra and matching Colin Montgomerie's record of eight Order of Merit titles.

Chacarra, making just his second appearance at the season finale, had a difficult opening day, carding four birdies and four bogeys for a level-par 72.

Notable Moments on Day One

Kota Kaneko was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, recognised as the sole rookie to reach the season's final event. Meanwhile, Niklas Norgaard lit up the Earth Course with a hole-in-one at the par-3 13th, earning himself one million Emirates Skywards Miles in the process.

With three rounds remaining, the race for the Race to Dubai title remains wide open — and Luiten, the man who almost didn't make it to Dubai, is currently leading the way.