Ernie Els edged first round honours over Tiger Woods at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday but they were both upstaged by joint leaders Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and Ross Fisher of England.
Woods defeated Els in a dramatic play-off for his first Gulf title last year and the South African is out for revenge after finally getting back to full fitness following knee ligament damage.
Out early in the day, Els took advantage of ideal playing conditions to post a six-under 66 that included an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys.
World number one Woods, out in the afternoon, could only par his front nine, but added five birdies against one bogey on the way back in and settled for a 68.
The 26-year-old Fisher, who learned his golf at the famed Wentworth course outside London, and the more experienced McDowell went one better than Els, India’s Jyoti Randhawa and Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara with eight birdies against one bogey.
Grouped a further stroke back on 67 were Phillip Price of Wales, Simon Dyson of England, Thai veteran Thongchai Jaidee and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Els got off to a poor start on one of his favourite courses by bogeying the par-three 11th, but bounced back immediately with an eagle two and three birdies in the next four holes to reach the turn in five-under 32.
More birdies followed at the first and third before a second bogey at the fourth cost him the outright overall lead.
”When you have an early tee-time you have to take advantage,” said Els, who opened his year with a third-place finish in the Qatar Masters last Sunday.
”It could have been a little bit better here and there but I am in the clubhouse at six under and I can look forward to the next few rounds.
”I would take four of those rounds here. That would be okay.”
Woods, coming off a win in the Buick Invitational in California on Sunday – his seventh straight in USPGA events – is bent on honing his game toward his main early season objective, the Masters at Augusta in early April.
And even though far from firing on all cylinders, he birdied three of the last six holes to keep Els well in his sights.
”Just didn’t putt that well today [Thursday]. Wasn’t the pace of the greens. I just couldn’t strike the ball on line. A little frustrating out there,” he said.
McDowell was five under at the turn and added an eagle-two at the fourth to hold his form over the tougher front nine for the lead and vindication of his decisions late last year to switch coaches and return home to Portrush in Northern Ireland as he struggled with his focus.
”Last year was very tough to quantify for me. There was some great golf and there was some bad golf,” he said.
If his position atop the leaderboard was no huge surprise, the same could not be said of the presence of Londoner Fisher, who missed the cut at Abu Dhabi in his last outing two weeks ago.
The last time he was as close to Tiger Woods was in 1998 when for five pounds an hour he hoovered up balls the American was hitting in practice for a tournament at Wentworth.
”From the moment I got here, I really felt comfortable,” he said, putting his sudden improvement down to the practise he put in back home in England after his early departure from Abu Dhabi.
”Played four times in what was quite awful weather, but just managed to get a lot of things done and take in a lot of positives.”
Leading the way for the nine members of last September’s triumphant European Ryder Cup team taking part were Henrik Stenson of Sweden, England’s Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland who all finished with 68s. — AFP
