Rory back to start in fine fettle
RORY MCILROY admitted he suffered nerves on his return to golf as Tommy Fleetwood made a perfect start to his defence of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships.
The Ulsterman has not played since last October, in a bid to clear up his nagging rib injury, and has slipped down to world No.11.
And, in his first event of the new season, the fourtime Major winner started with 11 pars in his 69 to sit three shots off the lead.
“I was excited to get going,” McIlroy said.
“I was probably a little nervous on the first tee.
“The last couple of months have been really nice, in terms of being able to concentrate on things I needed to work on in my game and health-wise.
“I feel like I’m nearly the most prepared for a season that I have ever been, but it was nice to get back out there and it was a great pairing to start off with.
“Tommy played very well and I was just trying to hang on to his coat-tails for most of the round, so really pleased – bogey-free 69, I can’t really complain.”
His playing partner Fleetwood sits at the top of the leaderboard with Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, after hitting all 18 greens in regulation in his 66.
“It was very good, very stress-free,” said the Race to Dubai winner.
“Just a really good ballstriking round and nice to start the year off like that.”
The third man in the star grouping, world No.1 Dustin Johnson, carded a level-par 72. And McIlroy’s compatriot Graeme McDowell shot an opening two-under 70.
The 2010 US Open champion has slipped to 189th in the world rankings.