A blistering opening nine holes helped Rory McIlroy take a one-shot lead over Lee Westwood as the Race to Dubai heated up at The Earth course this morning. The 20-year-old from Holywood was five under through his first nine holes to move to nine under for the tournament.

McIlroy got off to a blistering start, with his approach to the first leaving him a tap-in birdie. He added another at the par-four second to move alongside his main challenger, who had yet to start his round.

Westwood answered in emphatic fashion with two birdies in his first two holes, but McIlroy then hit his approach stone dead on the 572-yard eighth to move to eight under.

Pádraig Harrington also moved into contention after he ended his front nine by going eagle, birdie, birdie to move to seven under. It made up for a mixed start which saw him birdie the second, before carding back-to-back bogeys on the fourth and fifth.

German Martin Kaymer and England’s Ross Fisher were the other two players still in with a chance of the Order of Merit crown, but they had to finish fourth and second respectively.

Kaymer was seven shots off the pace after he finished with two bogeys for a second straight 71. Fisher also carded a 71 and is level par at the halfway stage.

“I’m really disappointed. I felt I played really, really well but now I’ve just got to try to go for everything,” said the Volvo World Match Play champion, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Sunday.

“I’d be lying if I said it was my favourite course. It’s not a bomber’s course and it’s not a plodder’s course and you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of greens you can see.”