Flawless Garcia shines in Dubai

Sergio Garcia rekindled fond memories as he sat in a tie for the lead during the first round of the 2021 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The World Number 45 won this event in 2017 before going on to claim his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament later that year.

And Garcia enjoyed his return to the United Arab Emirates as he recorded a flawless 66 to sit at the top of the leaderboard alongside South Africa's Justin Harding at six under par.

Paul Casey made a fast start before settling for a five under 67 despite leading for most of Thursday morning at Emirates Golf Club, and was later joined at that mark by Spain's Adrian Otaegui and Belgian Thomas Detry.

The Englishman was making his first appearance at this event since 2014 but took no time to acclimatise after travelling across a 12 hour time difference from the United States to play in Dubai.

"Still a great day," Casey said. "This is a difficult golf course The last time I played here was seven years ago, it was difficult then and it's grown some teeth in the last few years.

"It's difficult to read the greens and make putts around here. Very happy to make that start."

Starting on the back nine, Casey was dialled in from the outset and after an opening birdie at the tenth, he left himself four feet from his tee shot into the next - which he rolled in.

Casey was inches from going one better at the 12th when he almost holed out his approach and when he tapped in his third gain in a row, he was the early leader.

A great bunker shot at the 13th to within two feet saw him roll in his fourth straight birdie to move two shots clear and the World Number 27 was unlucky not increase his advantage as he narrowly missed a putt for a gain at the next.

The 43-year-old did not have to wait long for his fifth birdie of the round when he hit another fine approach to three feet at the 16th and he was three clear on five under par.

He could not build on his advantage despite birdie chances at the 17th and 18th, with Lee Westwood and Frenchman Romain Langasque closing the gap to the leader to one.

But Casey's iron show continued at the third. Despite finding the rough with his tee shot and the light rough with his second, he pitched his approach to three feet to get to six under.

The Englishman found trouble off the tee at the par three fourth to card his first dropped shot of the day, which handed Garcia the initiative as he joined Langasque at four under in a tie for second.

Garcia had birdied the 13th, 14th, 17th and second but he did not stop there and when he rolled in a 12 foot putt for birdie at the third - he was the joint leader.

Both Casey and Garcia missed birdie chances and Harding took control by sneaking in the clubhouse at six under courtesy of three gains in his last four holes.

Garcia joined Harding at the summit thanks to a stunning approach to concessional range at the sixth for his sixth birdie.

Otaegui, who birdied the tenth, 13th, 16th, 18th and second, joined his fellow Spaniard and Harding for a three way tie for the lead as he matched Garcia's tally of six picked up shots with five holes remaining.

Garcia could not improve his score as he carded a 66 and Otaegui had a chance to move ahead on his own but pushed his seven foot birdie putt left of the cup at the seventh.

Otaegui slipped to five under after dropping his first shot of the round at his penultimate hole - the eighth - before finishing with a par.

Langasque, Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Spain's Adri Arnaus, Tommy Fleetwood and Finn Kalle Samooja were all in the clubhouse on four under as the afternoon starters began their opening rounds.