Molinari Turns Back the Clock with Brilliant 65 in Dubai

A Hot Start and Strong Finish

Molinari wasted no time getting going, birdieing four of his first five holes starting at the 10th. After giving one back at the 12th, he steadied himself with immediate birdies at the 13th and 14th, the latter coming from 20 feet.

But it was his finish that really caught everyone’s attention. After a monster 65-foot birdie putt at the fourth, Molinari closed with three consecutive birdies from the seventh through the ninth, each time hitting his approach to within five feet.

“Not super unexpected, but I wasn’t expecting a score like that,” Molinari admitted. “Putter was the biggest difference, to be honest. Made some nice putts. Kept the round going in the middle where I played a couple of iffy holes and made some good pars.”

Lindberg Leads the Chase

Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg sits alone in second place at five-under 67 after his own impressive round. He went birdie-eagle-birdie from the second hole to surge into contention and briefly held the clubhouse lead before Molinari’s late surge.

Lindberg came agonizingly close to a hole-in-one at the par-three 15th, his tee shot stopping inches from the cup. That tap-in birdie helped offset his only dropped shot at the 16th.

Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach is third at four-under, while South Africa’s JC Ritchie also posted 68 despite a double bogey at the sixth that derailed his momentum after he’d climbed to within one of the lead.

Tough Day for the Big Names

It was a frustrating opening round for Rory McIlroy, who struggled to a one-over 73 and sits eight shots off the pace. The world No. 2 made a mess of the 18th hole (his ninth of the day), taking a double-bogey seven after his chip rolled back into the water.

Playing partner Tommy Fleetwood also shot 73, while defending champion Tyrrell Hatton managed a two-under 70. Shane Lowry matched that score with an entertaining round that included several highlight-reel moments.

The stellar grouping of Ryder Cup stars never got going, with all three struggling in the wind that made scoring difficult throughout the day.

Looking Ahead

With nine players still to complete their first rounds due to darkness, the leaderboard isn’t quite final. But Molinari has given himself an excellent position heading into Friday’s second round.

The Italian showed signs of returning form late last year with a top-10 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and made the cut at last week’s Dubai Invitational. Now he’s in prime position to contend at the first Rolex Series event of 2026.

“Obviously very, very pleased with the start,” Molinari said. “I did a good job of staying in the moment. Not get too flustered one way or the other, and at the end of the day, obviously you add them up and it’s pretty good.”

If he can maintain this level through the weekend, that long-awaited victory might finally arrive.