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English pair Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton share the lead on seven under par after the opening day of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Hatton had held the overall lead before hitting a bogey on the final hole to card a 65 at Jumeriah Golf Estates.
US Open champion Fitzpatrick, who won the season-ending event in 2016 and 2020, could still end the season as European number one.
Sweden’s Alexander Noren is one shot behind the leaders after a 66.
World number one Rory McIlroy, who currently tops the European rankings, opened his challenge with a one under par round of 71.
Fitzpatrick came into the event third on the Europe-based DP World Tour’s rankings, and made an impressive start with five birdies in the opening five holes.
He made seven in total in round one, while Hatton carded eight.
“I think the biggest thing I’m pleased about today is just hitting 17 greens, and the one I missed, I was a complete idiot,” said Fitzpatrick.
“That was the big thing that I was happy about today – that I kept giving myself chances and putted well as well.”
On his opening birdie burst, he added: “I was laughing, to be honest. I literally said to [caddie] Billy [Foster] yesterday, ‘when we won in 2020, didn’t we have four in a row?’.
“And then we did four in a row, and then we laughed about that and I made a fifth. It was a nice start to the day.”
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