McIlroy Undergoes Laser Surgery

Rory McIlroy, who last month declared his ambition to make the “next 10, 15 years my time”, has undergone laser eye surgery to sharpen his vision.

The 26-year-old, who has relied on contact lenses throughout his career so far, shared a photo of himself online wearing protective goggles following the surgery, writing: “Human version of the dreaded K-9 cone … Only for sleeping though! Laser eye surgery went well yesterday.”

After winning his third Race to Dubai crown in four years in November, the Northern Irishman set out his ambitions, saying: “This is my time to capitalise on my career. The next 10, 15 years is my time.

“I really can’t be doing silly things like playing football in the middle of the season to jeopardise even six months of my career. It’s a big chunk where I could make some hay and win a major or two. I won’t be making those mistakes again.

“I want to try and get healthy and get stronger again, get my body back … I am really going to concentrate on that.”

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Donald Reclaims Control in Dubai

Luke Donald was back in control of his own destiny after three closing birdies gave him a second round 68 at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.

Needing a top-nine finish to be sure of completing the double of US PGA and European Tour money lists - an unprecedented feat - England's World Number One was down in 31st place when he three-putted the eighth.

But after pars on the next seven holes Donald made 15 foot putts on the 16th and long 18th and in between holed from ten feet.

They brought him into a tie for 12th - still not quite where he wanted to be, but in a position to strike over the weekend.

"Just personally in terms of my mental approach, that was huge," said Donald of a finish that lifted him to four under par, five behind new leader Paul Lawrie, who still had ten holes to play.

He will take The Race to Dubai wherever he finishes if Rory McIlroy, his only remaining challenger, fails to win the tournament, but the Ulsterman still had a great chance of that after birdies at the second and eighth put him in a tie for second, one back.

"It would be foolish of me to rely on him not winning," added Donald. "I know what's at stake and it's big deal to me.

"I was frustrated out there. I tried to stay patient, but it's tough. I want to finish off what I came here to do and those last three holes brought a smile to my face.

"There's certainly a lot of pressure. I'm still making a few mistakes - maybe because of what's at stake. When there's a lot on the line you feel more nervous, but sometimes it's a good thing."

Lawrie took over at the top when he birdied the first two holes and overnight pacesetter Peter Hanson, who had equalled the course record with his 64, bogeyed the third.

When former Open Champion Lawrie almost holed-in-one at the fourth he was three clear, but he followed with three pars and McIlroy birdied the eighth to get closer and Hanson was two back again as well when he picked up his first stroke of the day on the long seventh.

Donald had been close to the right-hand bushes with his opening drive on the first day and after straying that way again he hit a provisional ball just in case.

The original was found in the deep rough, but he missed a four foot par putt and thought to himself: "Not again".

Like his first round, though, he came back with three birdies in the next four, but covering the first ten in one over left him in dire need of a strong finish - and he produced it.

McIlroy did not appear to have the same touch of magic on the greens as he did in covering the back nine in 30 on Thursday. He missed three birdie chances from eight feet or less in the first six holes, but two-putted the long second and a three on the 461 yard eighth was a real boost, especially when Lawrie, bunkered off the tee, then bogeyed it to be only one ahead once more.

McIlroy grabbed a share of the lead for the first time thanks to a seven foot birdie putt on the 11th, but followed it with a three-putt bogey.

That sent him down into a tie for third as Quiros joined Lawrie out in front with his fifth birdie of the day on the long 15th.

Rory Still in Touch on Earth Course

Rory McIlroy lost a ball with only his fifth shot of the day and was left with a mountain to climb at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.

With McIlroy needing to win just to have a chance of denying Luke Donald an unprecedented money list double, the world's top two went head-to-head in the opening round.

But it was advantage Donald at the turn. Already the winner of the US PGA Tour money list in America, he covered the front nine in a three under par 33 compared to McIlroy's 36.

Scotland's former Open Champion Paul Lawrie had set a tough target earlier on with a sparkling seven under par 65 on his debut in the season-ending event.

He led by a stroke from Swede Peter Hanson and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, who still had five and three holes to play, but most attention was on the duel between the last players to tee off.

Donald requires a top-nine finish to secure The Race to Dubai crown, but his opening drive was leaked into the bushes.

He was fortunate to be able to advance it without taking a penalty drop, but bogeyed and was instantly two behind McIlroy.

By the third tee he was one ahead, however. While McIlroy ran up a double bogey seven on the next, he birdied after pitching to three feet.

Donald's birdie putts of 25 and six feet at the third and fifth took him no further in front because McIlroy had hit approaches to within three feet each time.

But there was another two shot swing on the eighth. Donald birdied from seven feet after McIlroy had gone over the green and lipped out from eight.

Donald was bunkered on the ninth, but, expert as he is from sand, he splashed out to two feet to save par.

Lawrie, who in Spain in March had his first win for nine years, began a run of six birdies in seven holes with 15 foot putts on the fifth and sixth.

The Aberdeen golfer then chipped close at the long seventh, made a 30 footer to complete an outward 32 and then picked up more shots at the tenth, 11th and 626 yard 14th.

"I gave myself an awful lot of chances - my iron play was fabulous," said Lawrie, who spent all day Monday working on his game after finishing the UBS Hong Kong Open at the weekend with a five over par 75.

"The flight got in at 4.30am, I went to the hotel for a shower, was on the range by seven and didn't get to the hotel until four or five in the afternoon.

"Sometimes you need a day like that. My boys are 16 and 12 now and I don't want them to see Dad being a poor player.

"I want to be in the top 50 in the world." He is currently 93rd.

The 58-strong field - Justin Rose and Fredrik Jacobson are not playing - was further reduced to 57 when Korean Y E Yang pulled out after four holes with a neck injury, but Dane Thomas Björn was battling on with the same problem.

McIlroy holed from eight feet at the tenth to be only two behind Donald again, but he was six behind not only Lawrie, but also Hanson after his fifth birdie in six holes came on the 15th.

The picture continued to change, McIlroy making a curling 18 footer on the short 13th and then having a birdie to Donald's bogey on the next to lead him by one - three under to two under.

Donald had driven into a bush there and was forced to take a drop, while the 22 year old was bunkered in two and holed from eight feet.

Bad news for McIlroy, though, was that Hanson completed a back nine 30 and equalled the course record with his 64.

Donald Dubai Duel with McIlroy

The top two players in the world – Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy – go head to head over the iconic Race to Dubai trophy ahead of the climax to the European Tour season.

World Number One Donald is bidding to become the first player in history to top the money lists of the European Tour and the PGA Tour and leads the Race to Dubai with €3,856,394. Victories in the WGC – Accenture Match Play, the BMW PGA Championship and the Barclays Scottish Open on The European Tour, in addition to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic on the US PGA Tour, have taken him to the top of the world order.

Donald has only finished outside the top ten on three occasions during The 2011 European Tour season, and a finish within the top nine, or no worse than tied ninth with one other person, over the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates would see him crowned European Number One.

World Number Two McIlroy lies €789,789 behind Donald in second place in the Race to Dubai and is looking to finish a stunning year, during which he won his first Major Championship, on a high. He too has enjoyed the best season of his career, finishing in the top ten 12 times on The European Tour International Schedule including wins in the US Open Championship at Congressional and then last week in the UBS Hong Kong Open. He has not finished outside the top four on The European Tour since the US PGA Championship in August. But he still needs to win this week to have any chance of catching Donald.

The top four players in the world are all at Jumeirah Golf Estates and all are firing on all cylinders with Lee Westwood, the 2009 champion, winning last weekend in Sun City, and Martin Kaymer, last year’s winner of The Race to Dubai, victorious on his last European Tour outing in the WGC – HSBC Champions.

They line up in an elite field of 58 for the climax to The Race to Dubai and the greatest show on Earth.