Irish trio Rory McIlroy, Tom McKibbin and Pádraig Harrington all sit alongside each other inside the top 30 as the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic drew to a close.
American amateur David Ford, Portugal's Ricardo Gouveia and Australia’s David Micheluzzi set the early pace at the Emirates Golf Club with seven-under-par rounds of 65, with McIlroy, McKibbin and Harrington five shots further back in a tie for 26th.
McIlroy started on the 10th hole and despite an opening birdie, he found himself over par with dropped shots at the 12th and the 14th – finding water off the tee at the latter.
A fine bunker shot secured a birdie at the 18th and McIlroy would pick up further birdies at the second and also at the seventh after a delicate chip in from the rough on the edge of the green.
The Holywood man is seeking a third straight win in the tournament, but was left underwhelmed with his performance.
"Yeah, pretty scrappy," was McIlroy's assessment of his round.
"Actually I felt I played probably better the first eight holes where I was one over compared to the last 10 where I was three under.
"First competitive round of the year. First competitive round in a while. A little uncomfortable over some shots. Definitely not as comfortable as I was in practice and coming in here.
"But it’s nice to get a card in your hand. It sort of exposes the things that you need to work on. I got it around today in a couple under, which is nice, and didn’t put myself out of the tournament, which is the main thing.
"I did a good job of scrambling today. I made a lot of key up-and-downs. Bonus of a chip-in on seven. But I don’t want to have to rely on my short game the rest of the week like I did today."
McKibbin has been under the spotlight as the 2025 season cranks into gear amidst rumours of a switch to LIV Golf, with McIlroy and Harrington both questioning such a move in the build up to the tournament.
Still, it didn’t distract him too much on the course as he produced a nice round of golf somewhat spoiled by a nasty double bogey at the sixth hole.
McKibbin was scrambling after going left off the tee, and he found a greenside bunker on his approach as two shots slipped away.
Harrington, starting at the 10th, had a fine front nine with birdies at the 10th, 13th and 18th leaving him well up the leaderboard.
His one dropped shot came at the ninth – his last – as a short-range putt rolled past.
France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera marked his return after a six-month absence due to mental health issues with an opening 67 to lie just two shots off the lead.
"I was crying on the first tee," the 39-year-old told reporters.
"I managed to hit an absolute dart down the middle of the fairway. Big mistake, I relaxed and managed to hit the worst 2-iron ever, so I had to save a par. That felt good.
"I had a lot of support since I came back. A lot of messages and a lot of people were very nice to me. It feels good.
"I felt I could play some proper golf because I feel rested, and actually, the mindset was very important.
"The mindset this week and for the three weeks coming is just go out there and enjoy playing golf, which was not easy the last two to three years. Actually, I really enjoyed today."
Two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who is making his debut in the event, carded an opening 69.
