Sachin Tendulkar gifts Rory McIlroy autographed India jersey and cricket stump at DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy is currently wrapping up his season at the DP World Tour Championship. Season finales are typically filled with accolades for the Northern Irishman and this year's event held special significance as well.

On Thursday, November 16, Rory McIlroy was visited by a special guest at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. Cricket star Sachin Tendulkar greeted the Northern Irishman and exchanged gifts with him minutes before the start of the first round of the DP World Tour Championship.

Sachin Tendulkar presented Rory McIlroy with an autographed Indian cricket team jersey and an autographed cricket stump. Earlier in the day, McIlroy presented Tendulkar with an autographed hole flag featuring the DP World Tour Championship logo.

Sachin Tendulkar is regarded as the greatest cricket batsman in history. His prolific career accolades include the 2011 World Cup and the 2002 Champions Trophy.

Having already secured first place in the circuit rankings, Rory McIlroy is currently participating in the DP World Tour Championship. With only seven tournaments played, he has earned enough results to win the Race to Dubai.

How did Rory McIlroy fare in the first round of the DP World Tour Championship?

Rory McIlroy had a somewhat uneven performance in the first round of the DP World Tour Championship, starting well with three birdies and a bogey on the front nine. However, McIlroy struggled in the latter half of the round.

Although he started strong on the back nine with a birdie on the 10th, he then made consecutive bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes, and another on the 16th. McIlroy managed to salvage his under par score with a birdie on the 15th.

McIlroy finally closed his first round with a 1-under 71, placing him in a tie for 15th with eight other players.

In this first round, McIlroy's driving was below average. He averaged 307 yards, whereas his season average stands at 315.7. It's worth noting that the Northern Irishman is using the new TaylorMade driver for the first time in this tournament.

Viktor Hovland, one of the top contenders, finished T7 with a score of -3. In contrast, Jon Rahm finished T24 with a score of even.

Other top-ranked players had mixed performances. Adrian Meronk secured the T3 spot with a score of -4, while Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre joined Hovland in T7.

Tyrrell Hatton finished tied for eleventh place at two-under-par, while Shane Lowry also tied Jon Rahm at T24. Hovering around the bottom of the leaderboard were Matt Fitzpatrick and Sepp Straka, both tied for fortieth place at two-over-par.

The DP World Tour Championship's second round tees off at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, November 17.