Garcia hits ground running in Dubai but Hatton back down to earth with a bump

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 winner, maintained his good scoring record on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club as new world No 5 Tyrrell Hatton came crashing back to earth with a thump in the first round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Playing in the same group,

Garcia carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66 to sit just two shots off the lead in the event’s 32nd edition, but it was a rare day to forget for Hatton as the newly-crowned Abu Dhabi HSBC champion struggled to a76.

Garcia, who is bidding to play in his tenth Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in September, birdied the 13th, 14th and 17th holes on his front nine before adding gains at the second, third and sixth coming home.

The latter was the pick of those birdies as the 41-yearold, who became the top points scorer in the Ryder Cup as he surpassed Nick Faldo by picking up three points as one of Thomas Bjorn’s wildcards in Paris in 2018, stiffed an 8-iron at one of the narrowest greens on the European Tour.

It was the 11th time that Garcia had signed for 67 or better on the stunning Majlis Course and he told Sky Sports Golf afterwards: “Yeah, I felt comfortable out there for sure. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots. I felt like it was a good, solid day, and very happy with the way it went.”

Garcia recorded his first victory on US soil since landing a major breakthrough in the 2017 Masters when he claimed the Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour in October.

He was then forced to miss the rescheduled Masters in November after testing positive for Covid before starting his 2021 campaign by playing in back-to-back events in Hawaii recently.

“Confidence is important,” admitted Garcia of that impressive 36th worldwide win last year.

“But I'm a lot happier with the equipment that I have now because I feel like I can shape shots and I can do a little bit more what I used to do.

“It's a big year, and hopefully I can be in good shape because I want to be a part of a lot of things this year. The desire's still there. I still love to compete."