Hero Dubai Desert Classic - Day one digest

Everything you need to know from day one of the first Rolex Series event of the season.

There were four tied at the top, Ryan Fox had a roller coaster, Rory McIlroy was hitting it miles and pins were being hit on day one of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Here is everything you need to know from Thursday at Emirates Golf Club.

Leading logjam

Li Haotong, Rasmus Højgaard, Cameron Young and Andy Sullivan shared the lead at five under after day one. Chinese Li - the 2018 champion - set the target early in the day before Englishman Sullivan carded a bogey-free 67 to join him. Dane Højgaard then finished with two birdies to also get to five under and American Young holed a monster from off the green on the last for a birdie-birdie-eagle finish to make it a four-way tie. Rasmus' twin brother Nicolai, fellow Danes Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen, South African Louis de Jager, Spaniard Sebastian Garcia, England's Richard Mansell and Pole Adrian Meronk were then all one back on a congested leaderboard in the United Arab Emirates.

Li back in the groove

To say the past three seasons have been a roller coaster for Li would be an understatement. He did not make a weekend until October in the 2021 season but roared back in 2022 with a win in Germany. He then had 13 missed cuts and two withdrawals to end the 2023 campaign and now, with a new-look swing and new clubs, he has started his week with a 67. "It happens," he said. "It's just golf. I don't know. Hopefully it doesn't happen again and I will definitely behave more this time." That roller coaster could be on the way back up.

Fox's wild ride

Everybody loves a chip-in and Ryan Fox made a beauty on the eighth.

But that does not tell the whole story.....

And then, just for good measure, he chipped in at the 12th as well.

It's never dull with Ryan around.

Rory being Rory

351-yard par-four - no problem for the World Number Two.

Pin-seekers

Adam Scott and Daniel Brown were dialled-in from long range.