Dutch golfer Joost Luiten leads the way by a shot in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Jumeriah Estates course in Dubai.

Luiten, 40, produced seven birdies in a stella five-under-par score 67 to head the elite field of just 50 players contesting the event that winds up the season.

Denmark’s Jason Skov Olesen also birdied the last to be lying in second place with a four-under 68 and with five players, including two players in contention all last week dowm the road in the UAE capital – Italy’s Francesco Laporta and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy – sharing third place on three-under.

Luiten was naturally very pleased with his efforts.

“Yeah, good opening round, had a great front nine,  you know, 5-under after 9 holes, and then you hope you can push on,” he said.

“But the wind picked up, and I made two annoying bogeys on 11 and 12, which especially on 11 wasn’t really needed. But, you know, it happens in these conditions.

“And I’m quite happy finishing 5-under because coming in it’s tricky”.

Indeed and with the Dutch golfer five-under through nine holes, as he remarked, before dropping shots at 11 and 12 ahead of a sixth birdie of his round at 13 before moving to five-under with a birdie at the last.

“It’s always nice to birdie the last, par-5, straight into the wind, and it was blowing,” he said.

“I had a good drive, and then, you know, decision, are you going for it or laying up? So I decided to lay up and not take any risk. And then I had a good wedge in to about seven or eight feet and rolled in a nice birdie putt to finish.

“So, yeah, it’s nice. I said to my caddie, I said, bro, we can only go up this week”.

Laporta was delighted with his efforts, despite the windy conditions.

“I feel good. I feel great. I had a nice practise round yesterday. So yeah, I feel all right. Obviously, like what I did last week, it gave me a bit of confidence,” said the Italian.

“Windy. Very windy. It was tricky. The course was playing really tough and some tough legs. I had nice support from my putter today, so, yeah, I’m quite happy about my round.

“But yeah, still another course, a new week. And the course is not playing easy. So it’s tough out there, and I’m feeling good, so three more days”.

Jon Rahm, winner of last week’s event in Abu Dhabi, is lying in a share of 16th place at one-under and one shot fewer than Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra.

Patrick Reed, and the current No. 3 ranked on the #DPWTC rankings, is down in a three-way tie for 41st place and just two from the bottom of the board.