DP World Tour Championship: Rory McIlroy is the top competitor in the Race to Dubai after the first round

Nine players – Chacarra, McIlroy, Reed, Casey Jarvis, Aaron Rai, Jon Rahm, Ryan Fox, Jayden Schaper and Daniel Hillier – can still win the Race to Dubai, but only Chacarra and McIlroy can secure season-long distinction with victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week.

Northern Irishman McIlroy, who is aiming to equal Scot Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight crowns in a season, birdied two of his first four holes before responding at the fifth.

He birdied the seventh and 11th, and although he took six at the par-five 14th, he finished with a two-putt birdie four to tie for third.

“You can’t win it on day one, but you can definitely lose it,” McIlroy added.

“I played well, so there was never any threat of me shooting a bad goal.

“But it was possible today to go out there and shoot a few and kind of feel like you were out of the tournament.

“Getting a good start was very important.”

Chacarra, who has won three times already this season, finished his front nine with three straight birdies to turn into a two-under 34, but dropped his shots at 13 and 15 to find himself five behind Luiten.

Rahm, who catapulted himself into contention last week in Abu Dhabi, winning his first tournament since leaving LIV Golf, combined four birdies and three bogeys in an opening 71 to sit alongside New Zealander Hillier.

Jarvis (+2), Schaper (+2), Fox (+2), Rai (+4) all have work to do, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood also struggled with an opening 76.

Dutchman Luiten, the lowest ranked player in the field, shot five under but canceled two birdies with two bogeys on the back nine to settle for a 67, one ahead of Dane Jacob Skov Olesen.