Abu Dhabi: With his vision enhanced by laser-eye surgery last month, Rory McIlroy launched his 2016 campaign in blistering fashion with a six-under-par 66 on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Thursday.
The world number three showed no signs of early-season rust by shooting eight birdies to outshine his playing partner and world number one Jordan Spieth, who carded a four-under-par 68 on his Middle Eastern debut.
The four-time major winner told media afterwards that his sparkling display owed much to his recent surgery.
“The greens here, I’ve always struggled on them a little bit but this was a great way to start the year,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a colouration thing or if it’s the just the first week of the year and you’re trying to get back into it. But I felt like I read most of the greens out there pretty well and holed a few nice putts.
“Up close, it [the surgery] has made everything that little bit sharper.”
McIlroy has thrived in the UAE capital, having enjoyed four second-place finishes at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and is confident of lifting a first Falcon Trophy on Sunday if he maintains his majestic form.
“I’ve played every year since 2008,” the 26-year-old said. “I’ve played well here, I just haven’t been able to get the victory. Hopefully I can change that this year and to start with a win here to start the year would be fantastic.
“Fingers crossed I can play like that over the next three days.”
Spieth, who won the Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour two weeks ago by eight shots after shooting an astounding 30-under par, needed six holes to make his first birdie, but then added six more.
The 22-year-old, who also had two bogeys, pronounced himself pleased with his Abu Dhabi debut despite struggling with his driver, commenting: “I didn’t drive the ball well, which is really key out there, so to shoot four-under with the way I felt with my driver is spectacular. I feel like I scrambled pretty well for the majority of the round and then a couple of wedge shots hurt me from making it a great round.”
Spieth was effusive in his praise about the “beautiful” National Course and McIlroy’s “masterclass”.
“That’s the Rory that I have seen win major championships,” the Texan said.
“It was very impressive today and minus one or two short putts, which is mainly just rust, it felt like he was on his A game.”
One downside for Spieth was the fact that he was warned for slow play on the penultimate hole.
“It was a bit odd. I got a bad time on my putt on the eighth when they took us off the clock on that green and the guys behind us hadn’t even reached the fairway on a par five.
“I understand that if you are being timed and you are taking longer than the allotted time, you get a bad time. I understand the rule but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when our group had caught up.”
The third member of McIlroy and Spieth’s group, the world number six Rickie Fowler, opened with a two-under-par 70.
“It was a bit sloppy out there,” Fowler said. “I had a couple get away from me on the first hole but kind of started to find form a little bit towards the end of the round.
“I felt like I putted well and made some good putts, but we’ll just tighten it up a little bit.”
