Coming into this year’s Abu Dhabi Championship, Rory McIlroy admitted to feeling more settled after a disappointing year on the course. With his recent engagement to Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, and his play improving towards the end of 2013, with a tremendous victory at the Australian Open, the former world number one arrived in the Middle East in a quietly confident mood.
The settled nature of his game and mind was evident, as he opened with a bogey-free two-under round of 70 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club to leave him three shots back of leaders Matthew Baldwin, Romain Wattel and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
Starting at the tenth, alongside five-time major champion Phil Mickelson and Jamie Donaldson, the winner here 12 months ago, McIlroy drove superbly all round on the lengthy Peter Harradine designed layout, and made his first birdie of the day on the 18th courtesy of an eight-foot putt. On his second nine, he would make another birdie on the fifth, before settling for his solid opening that leaves him in a tie alongside the likes of three-time winner Martin Kaymer, Race to Dubai leader Thomas Bjorn, and former world number one Luke Donald.
“I played well and was very happy with how I hit the ball from tee to green,” said McIlroy, who missed the cut here last year after the unveiling of his lucrative equipment contract with Nike.
“I hit it long and straight and just did not take advantage of some of the opportunities, especially on the last two holes.
“It definitely could have been a bit better but it is a solid start and I was pleased.”
Two-time European Tour winner Cabrera-Bello perhaps had the most impressive closing stretch of the round, after making three birdies in his final five holes to finish the day joint-leader at five-under. The Spaniard came home in just 32 strokes and ended the day at the summit alongside Frenchman Wattel and England’s Matt Baldwin.
“It's the first round of the year for most of us,” said Cabrera-Bello, who won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic two years ago.
“I have not competed for the last five weeks, so even though I have been practising and trying to recreate competition, it's not quite the same, so I'm pretty pleased.
“I started good and I held my nerve and more than that, I played the game I know I can play.
“It is tough out there. You need to drive it good, otherwise the rough, it's very, very thick, and it's not easy to play out of. You need to be playing very good off the tee and the greens are rolling really good, so I think that you can make the putts.”
Last month, Matthew Baldwin posted his best finish on the European Tour, with a runner-up at the Nelson Mandela Championship. The Englishman made seven birdies in his opening round of 67, as he seeks to finish inside the Top 60 on the money list, which would ensure of his participation in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
“I played nice in the Nelson Mandela and hopefully continue to do so,” he said.
“It's been a nice preparation, and five days in the sun last week helped.
“It's given me confidence to go on and hopefully keep challenging and maybe a win is around the corner, you never know.
“I want to win. There are plenty of guys that obviously they want to win, as well, but I think looking at the year ahead, top 60 is a target but definitely to get a win under the belt would be superb.”
Romain Wattel has also begun the 2013/14 season in impressive fashion, with two top-five finishes already posted in South Africa. The talented 23-year-old from Montpellier would go round the testing track in an accomplished bogey-free fashion as he seeks a maiden victory on the Tour.
“That's a good test all the time, Abu Dhabi, so really pleased with the five under par and it's obviously really nice to start the tournament,” said Wattel, who won on the Challenge Tour as an amateur in 2010.
“I tried to save all the bad holes I had and that's what I tried and that's what I did, so I'm really pleased with that and I'm going to try to do the same for the next few days.”
On a congested leaderboard, European Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, celebrating the anniversary of his appointment, was among those at four-under after a round of 68. Alongside the Irishman was in-form Dutchman Joost Luiten, who many believe could potentially play his way onto McGinley’s team at Gleneagles in September.
Open Champion Phil Mickelson astonishingly didn’t make a single birdie in his opening round, as the 43-year-old settled for a one-over total of 73. World number ten Sergio Garcia, who has shown some impressive form of late, struggled to a 76 on a course that is extremely punishing to those wayward off the tee.
However, at the end of day one of the Desert Swing, it’s a cosmopolitan trio at the summit, as Rory McIlroy looms ominously in view.