Golf:It was first blood to Rory McIlroy today as he, Tiger Woods and Luke Donald took the opening steps in a season which promises so much. McIlroy's five-under-par 67 gave him a share of the lead with Swede Robert Karlsson at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but the 22-year-old also saw just how much Woods has improved since they last played together.
That was the USPGA Championship in August, when the former world number one gave his worst-ever performance at a major in missing the cut by six shots.
Now, with his first win for over two years under his belt, Woods has hopes of making it two in a row after a bogey-free 70 for joint ninth place on his debut in the event.
That was one stroke better than current number one Donald, the third member of the star group, and McIlroy said afterwards: “Tiger definitely looked very good to me — he’s got the ball under control.”
Northern Ireland’s US Open champion could not say the same about himself, but a superb short game enabled him to shine on a day that also witnessed Sergio Garcia’s first hole-in-one on the European Tour.
Garcia, who like fellow Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara an hour later aced the 186-yard 12th, matched Donald’s 71, while Lee Westwood shot 72 and Martin Kaymer - winner three of the last four years — a shocking 77 on a course where 15 of his previous 16 rounds were 68 or lower.
McIlroy has finished fifth, third and second on his last three visits, but despite his six birdies it was off to the range afterwards to work on his game.
“I don’t feel I drove the ball particularly well,” he said after catching Karlsson by chipping in at his penultimate hole. “I think it’s just because your first competitive round of the season, card in your hand, you can get a little bit tentative or a little apprehensive.”
On finding himself up against Woods and Donald so soon in the year, he added: “It makes you focus — 7.40 tee times on Thursday mornings don’t usually get me that excited, but this morning it did.”
Outscoring his boyhood hero was a feather in his cap, but he added: “It’s only the first round of a tournament. If it was the last day and you both have a chance to win I would take a lot of pride from that obviously.”
If it comes down to the par five last hole McIlroy will have to try to avoid a repeat of a three-wood second that flew wildly into a hospitality tent.
“It’s probably in someone’s lunch,” he joked afterwards.
He and Karlsson finished the day one ahead of McIlroy’s compatriot Gareth Maybin, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet and England’s Richard Finch, who in a spectacular finish sank a seven iron for an eagle two on the sixth, pitched in from 67 yards for birdie at the eighth and then birdied the ninth as well.
Garcia’s ace also came with a seven iron and it won him a three-night stay at the five-star Emirates Palace Hotel every year for life.
Another Ulsterman, Michael Hoey, is also loitering around the summit on two under, one ahead of Pádraig Harrington and two in front of Darren Clarke.
Graeme McDowell was going well when he reached three under, but right from the start he thought there could be something wrong with his driver and when it gave out on the 17th it cost him a double bogey.
“On my first swing it felt like a piece of glue came loose in the head,” he said after his 72. “It’s broken basically. I’ve been testing a new one, so this will force me to put it into play.”
Shane Lowry and Damien McGrane are one-over-par, but Peter Lawrie has it all to do one six over.
Woods admitted he had a hard time reading the greens, but was delighted to be hitting the ball just as well as when he returned to winning ways at the Chevron World Challenge early last month.
“By the second hole I was back into the rhythm of playing, which was good,” he said. “I would like it to be good on the first hole, but after a break like that it’s going to take a little bit!”
South African Branden Grace, trying to become the first player to win three consecutive events on the circuit since Seve Ballesteros in 1986, managed only a 75.
