Nov. 20--A short break seems to have done Rory McIlroy some good.
The No. 1 player in the world returned from a month away from the game to grab an early share of the lead at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday.
"You never expect to start like that, but I've been hitting the ball well for the last couple of weeks that I've been practicing and it was just a matter of trying to take that good range play on to the course," he said.
McIlroy played bogey-free golf for a six-under 66 to tie with Shane Lowry of Ireland after the first round. He had arrived at the finale of the European Tour season with an insurmountable lead in the Race to Dubai point standings.
"I was really looking forward to just getting out there and feeling what it was like again," he said.
Richie Ramsay of Scotland and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark stood one shot back at 67. Defending champion Henrik Stenson finished with a 68.
