Ian Poulter may not have a chance of winning the Race to Dubai but there is plenty of pride, as well as a hefty prize, at stake this week. The 39-year-old made the ideal start in his bid for a first win in three years as defending champion Henrik Stenson surprisingly found himself at the wrong end of the leaderboard in the £5.2million DP World Tour Championship.
A flawless six-under 66 gave Poulter a share of the lead with Ryder Cup team-mate Martin Kaymer, England's Andy Sullivan and Australian Marcus Fraser.
But world number six Stenson slumped to an opening 77, his worst score in 21 rounds in this event, which left him joint last on five-over-par and facing a monumental task to claim a hat-trick of wins in the European Tour's season finale.
"There's a lot at stake," said Poulter. "I think more of it is probably pride than anything else. Dropping outside the top 50 (in the world) isn't very nice. Being down list on the Order of Merit is not very nice. And wanting to put some points on the board for Ryder Cup would definitely be very helpful."
With the players going out in reverse order according to their positions on the Race to Dubai, the top two of Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett were the last to tee off and both ended up with four-under 68s to sit among the frontrunners. McIlroy leads the order of merit by just 1,613 points from Willett.
McIlroy was taken aback to learn that Tiger Woods has been named a vice-captain for next year's Ryder Cup, admitting it raises further questions about the 14-time major winner's career.
"It's great that he wants to help the US team in any way that he can, and if that's not in a playing capacity, then as a vice-captain," he said. “It just sort of makes me think what really his health is like and how he feels like he's going to come back from that.”
Aberdeen’s Richie Ramsay made three birdies on his first six holes as he finished the best of the three Scots in action with a one-under 71. “I one-putted four of the first six holes but then never had a single putt after that," said Ramsay, of a round that promised much more.
Marc Warren fought back from a 10th hole double-bogey in a 72, one fewer than Stephen Gallacher.
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