for live scoring click here http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012004/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y
I have been watching the coverage from Abu Dhabi most of the night, they went off air at 3am after Luke -1 71, Rory -5 67 and Tiger -2 70 finished their early rounds, and then came back on at 4am replaying part of the same coverage from earlier and hopefully picking up some of the late flight that includes Kaymer, Westwood and Sergio.
The weather is partly cloudy and calm, in brief Luke played a steady round, mostly pars, just one dropped shot, didn't make many putts. Rory was a bit wild off the tee but scrambled well and Tiger drove the ball well, was solid if unspectacular with his iron play, missed only 1 GIR, and didn't make many big putts. They started on the 10th at 740am local time. The thing I noticed different about Tiger is that he had his ball under control all day.
euopeantour.com Rory McIlroy outshone playing partners Tiger Woods and Luke Donald with a five under par opening round of 67 in Abu Dhabi.
While the 22 year old US Open Champion took a share of the early lead with Swede Robert Karlsson thanks to a chip-in birdie on his penultimate hole, Woods shot a bogey-free 70 and World Number One Donald a 71.
McIlroy's ball-striking was not at its best, but like Karlsson he scrambled brilliantly in his first tournament since recovering from suspected Dengue fever.
Woods was playing his first event since ending more than two years without a victory last month, but did not make the most of his chances and collected birdies only at the 11th - their second of the day - and short fourth, where he almost holed in one.
Donald, meanwhile, followed eight opening pars with back-to-back birdies, but could not save par from the sand on the 200 yard seventh.
McIlroy had thrown down the gauntlet with a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th, holing from nine, 12 and three feet. Then came bogeys at the 14th and 17th, but he added another birdie on the long 18th despite his wild second shot hitting the hospitality tent.
A superb pitch from the rough to three feet at the 600 yard second took him to four under and then came the added bonus at the long eighth after he had twice been in the rough and just missed the green. He and Karlsson, who also relied on his short game more than he would have liked, were a stroke ahead of McIlroy's fellow Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin.
McIlroy said: "It was a good score and a great way to start 2012, but I don't feel I drove the ball particularly well and it's something I've got to work on."It was nothing that a good practice session won't fix."He was fifth, third and second on the course the last three years. "I feel it suits me really well. Just one problem - it suits Martin Kaymer even better."
Kaymer however is off to a tough start in defence of his title with a double at the first he is currently +3 through 6, he is the winner three of the last four years, while Lee Westwood is +2 and Sergio Garcia is +1.
Woods said: "I just had a hard time getting a feel for these greens. It was difficult and my speed was off."
Donald said: "It was fun to be part of that threesome - Tiger and Rory are huge names in the world of sport. Rory took advantage of a few more opportunities. I didn't make too many putts."
updating..5.25am EST
*Of the late flight GMac is going well at -3 through 8, while Charl Schwartzel is -2 through 7. Nicholas Colsaerts continues his good form, now in the clubhouse at -3 69, Paddy Harrington is -2 through 8
*Kaymer out in +3 39, Westwood +2 38 and Sergio E 72 as the big afternoon pairing continue to struggle a bit.
*Sergio aces the par 3 12th now at -2 !!.. oops just gave one back with bogey at 13 -1..
* Westwood has just made birdie at 13, has fought back to E, has one of his grinder rounds going,
* Frenchman Jean Baptiste Gonnet playing the back nine first was out in 34, has just eagled the par 5 2nd is T3 at -4
* must give kudos to Renton, Warren, Ken Brown EuroTour guys GC coverage of Tiger etal overnight. Nice balance without sickening overkill that dogs coverage on this side of Atlantic.. well done, refreshing..
* course playing to at stroke average of 73.2 (par 72)
* Sergio has played 2 simply exquisite fairway bunker shots one from 150 yards the other from 60, both inside 10 feet, but he missed both putts !! still -1 playing 17.
* late flight has had the worst, if you can call it that, of the weather with the breeze getting up this afternoon.
* Robert Rock, he without the hat, has birdied 3 of 4 on the back nine, now at -3 through 13.
* All night there has been a TV commercial for the new Taylor Made 3 wood featuring an incredulous Martin Kaymer, who is using that same club to slash it around the course today +4 playing 17.
*GMac just doubled 17 and has now given back the 3 shots he had on the front nine.. E playing the last. He broke his driver with his drive and that cost him
* Jose Manuel Lara has just aced the 12th like Sergio, his fellow Spaniard did earlier He is at -3 playing 13. Sergio gets 3 nights at the Emirates Palace hotel for life for his ace, but since there was only one prize on offer Lara gets diddly !!
* Westwood in at E 72, Sergio -1 71 and Martin Kaymer just missed a 2 footer on 18 for a +5 77
* no one is catching the leaders Rory and Robert at -5 as this round winds down.
* Branden Grace trying to become the first player to win three consecutive events on The European Tour since Seve Ballesteros in 1986, managed only a 75
* 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 to finish -4 is taking a lot of ribbing. In 2008 he fell into the river while winning the Irish Open and earlier this week he thought he was going to walk over a shiny black floor at his swank Emirates hotel, turns out it was some kind of water design he walked into, got a couple of soakers and just kept going til he got out the other side !!
*Jason Day is playing wiith a full beard on Australia Day. Call me old school but don't you think this generation of guys look very scruffy. They get all this great gear to wear, then they can't be bothered to shave.
Tee times for round 2
http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012004/teetimes/index.html
Westwood / Garcia / Kaymer are off at 11pm est
Donald / McIlroy / Woods are off at 305am est
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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