Rory McIlroy continues fine UAE form at Dubai Desert Classic

When it comes to playing the fairways of the UAE, familiarity has long since bred contentment for Rory McIlroy, writes Paul Radley.

Rory McIlroy tees off on the ninth hole during the first round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club. Warren Little / Getty
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DUBAI // When it comes to playing the fairways of the UAE, familiarity has long since bred contentment for Rory McIlroy.

Clearly, he is a son of Northern Ireland, but this country feels a part-ownership on the world No 1, too.

After shooting a six-under par 66 around the Majlis on Thursday, McIlroy is a combined 17-under for his three first rounds in the emirates this winter.

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His opening 18 holes here matched the score he made around the Earth Course at the DP World Tour Championship in November, while he shot 67 in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.

He was runner up in both those competitions, and he used his Thursday salvo at Emirates Golf Club to position himself ready to go one better.

“I know the golf course so well,” McIlroy said after a round which included just the one bogey, at his last hole.

“You can see out there, even when you are not playing your best, you know how to get it around and that’s what I did today.”

His course strategy for the Majlis probably has cobwebs on it by now. McIlroy first played in the Classic as a 16-year-old on a sponsor’s invite back in 2006.

He had less muscles and more curls back then. His gallery did not extend much further than his mum and dad, and after play he was always happy to head back to their friend’s villa in Jumeirah and play with their dog and their PlayStation.

Since then he has swapped home cooking for the buffet breakfasts of Latitude in Jumeirah Beach Hotel instead. And his image is on the front of those computer games now.

He says navigating this course is more manageable now, even than when he won his first career title at the Classic in 2009.

“I’m much better,” he said. “These sort of scores come a lot easier to me these days, managing my score and knowing how to get it around.

“Back then, 66 would have been a really good score for me. These days it’s what I expect of myself.”

Insider knowledge only counts for so much. Henrik Stenson is a previous winner here who used to live just up the road in The Meadows and has his own marked parking bay, two along from the club’s lady vice-captain.

He did not quite burn up the course as he has so often in days gone by, though, as he signed for a round of 2-under.

Their intimate knowledge of Emirates contrasted markedly with McIlroy’s playing partner Martin Kaymer, who said he could barely remember the course from the last time he played here. That was only two years ago.

“There are so many holes right-to-left,” said Kaymer, whose incredulity pointed to the fact his natural preference is to shape the ball from left to right. The German still only finished one shot worse off than McIlroy, though.

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