Molinari leads Dubai Desert Classic after opening 65

Francesco Molinari surged into the lead at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, firing a 7-under 65 to take a two-shot advantage on a windy opening day at Emirates Golf Club before fading light brought play to a halt.

The Italian mixed eight birdies with one bogey, handling the blustery conditions with control to set the early pace. Play was suspended at 5.50 pm local time, with nine players left to complete their first rounds on Friday morning.

Molinari, winless since his 2018 Open Championship triumph at Carnoustie, has shown signs of form returning after a quiet 2025 DP World Tour season. A top-10 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and a made cut at last week’s Dubai Invitational preceded his strong start here. He opened birdie-birdie from the 10th and closed with three straight birdies to move clear of the field.

Swede Mikael Lindberg briefly led after a front-nine surge that included birdie-eagle-birdie, before signing for a 5-under 67. South Africa’s J.C. Ritchie reached five under during his round but slipped back to 4-under after a double bogey.

Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton opened with a 2-under 70, while four-time winner Rory McIlroy endured a mixed day, carding a 1-over 73 that left him eight shots off the lead.

India’s Yuvraj Sandhu had a volatile debut, recovering from a triple bogey with three straight birdies before a run of bogeys saw him finish 3-over. Shubhankar Sharma was 2-over through 16 holes when play was suspended.

Photo – DPWT