Rory McIlroy gave the world's top three golfers a tough act to follow when he opened the Omega Dubai Desert Classic with a seven under par 65.
And it could have been even better for the 21 year old, whose only European Tour victory so far came on the same Emirates course two years ago.
McIlroy had five successive birdies around the turn and was seven under with three to play, but three-putted the short seventh before coming straight back with yet another birdie.
“It was a great way to start the tournament,” he said. “I felt in control of my ball most of the day.
“Got away with a couple of tee shots on the 17th and on the second - apart from that, I played really well - really smart golf and took on the pins if I needed to and left ones alone that I didn't need to go at. It was just a very solid round of golf.”
The Northern Irishman, with a chance this week to move up from seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking to a career-high fourth, completed his round just as Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Tiger Woods set off on their eagerly-awaited showdown.
It is the first time in 17 years that the sport's three leading lights lined up in a regular event on The European Tour, but Woods started with a bogey five after going over the green and missing from inside six feet.
The American, of course, has fallen from first to third and has not won a title for almost 15 months, but he lifted the trophy on his last visit to Dubai three years ago and was successful in 2006 as well.
He cannot overtake Westwood on the rankings this weekend, but Kaymer can with a top two finish and was the favourite of the three following his eight shot win in Abu Dhabi three weeks ago.
McIlroy, who opened with a 64 two years ago and led from start to finish, was two in front of Spain's Sergio Garcia and three clear of his 2007 Walker Cup teammate Danny Willett and France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet.
“I felt it was important to shoot a good score, because I knew the wind was going to pick up this afternoon,” added McIlroy. “The guys in the morning have had a little bit of an advantage going out and playing in perfect conditions for 11 or 12 holes, just started blowing a bit on our back nine.”
Garcia's ninth place in Qatar last week was his best finish for almost a year, but he probably needs top two this weekend to climb back into the world's top 64 and qualify for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play in Arizona later this month.
“It was good,” said 31 year old Garcia. “I'm not going to say it was great because I did hit a couple of drives that I didn't enjoy. But overall, I think it was good.
“It wasn't easy out there, even though maybe Rory made it look easier. It was tough, it got quite windy towards the back nine.
“The course is playing good - the fairways are not very wide, the rough is quite tough, and the greens are as firm as I've ever seen them - it's a very challenging course.”
What McIlroy would have given for David Howell's shot on the 186 yard seventh.
The Englishman, whose 1999 victory in the event came at the Dubai Creek course, holed-in-one to earn himself first-class tickets from the tournament's airline sponsors.
Woods also missed the green at the relatively easy second, but this time got his chip much closer and saved his par. He was, however, already eight behind McIlroy.
Westwood and Kaymer both birdied the long third, but Woods could only par it and then dropped his second shot on the 188 yard next.
Woods repaired some of the damage with a 14 foot birdie putt on the sixth, but his very next shot went in the lake on the par three and with a third bogey of the day he returned to two over.
Kaymer, in contrast, sank 15 footers for birdies on the seventh and eighth, but his approach to the ninth - like defending champion Migue Angel Jiménez before him - hit the edge of the hospitality tents on the right and rebounded into the water across the other side.
It cost the German a double bogey six and it meant that as the trio started for home they were in world ranking order - Westwood two under after hitting his second to two feet on the same hole, Kaymer one under and Woods two over.
