Rory McIlroy is the biggest name in the field for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week.
McIlroy is not only determined to win the event for the first time, but also to claim his seventh DP World Tour Race to Dubai title.
The Northern Irishman has given himself a tougher task by falling several strokes behind the leaders on day one.
McIlroy has now reflected on what he described as a “bad round” at the Yas Links Golf Club on Thursday.
Rory McIlroy reflects on ‘bad round’ at Abu Dhabi Championship
McIlroy shot a four-under-par 68 in the first round at the Abu Dhabi Championship, with five birdies and one bogey.
That would normally be considered a success, but not when five players are already four strokes ahead.
The good news for McIlroy is that the deficit is far from insurmountable, and he knows what he needs to improve in the next three rounds.
“It was okay. I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances on the back nine and just didn’t really convert,” he attributed it to his putting.
“I was hitting good putts, but just mostly underreading them. Then, not to birdie the last after where I was off the tee was a little disappointing.
“But hopefully that was the bad round out of the way. There are three more rounds to try to take it a bit lower.”
Rory McIlroy’s new driver worked well on day one in Abu Dhabi
McIlroy has a new driver, the standard version of the TaylorMade Qi4D, in his golf bag during this week’s event in Abu Dhabi.
McIlroy is considered the greatest driver of all time, but he has struggled with accuracy at times throughout the 2025 season.
It’s still early days, but the new club worked well for him in his latest round, driving the green at the near-400-yard par-four 10th hole.
“I felt like the driver was good. Obviously, a new driver in the bag this week. I felt like that worked well,” McIlroy reflected.
“I hit some good iron shots. I felt like I controlled my ball in the wind pretty well when the wind got up there in the last few holes.
“I just need to hole a few more putts. I think that was the difference between what I shot today and being up there around the lead.
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