Ian Poulter, fresh from a break and two long days of practice, carded a seven-under-par 65 to take a share of the lead in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
“I wasn’t expecting to come out quite as fast as that but I will take it,” said the Englishman, who ended the round tied with compatriot Richard Bland and Keith Horne, of South Africa.
“I hit the ball lovely. I got here on Monday night, started practising and my game felt about 70 per cent, let alone the way it was today,” he said. “I put in an extra long session on Tuesday and Wednesday; my hands were raw and sore. I’ve done an awful lot of work and it’s paid off.”
Poulter, 34, produced a bogey-free display around the National course to secure the clubhouse lead before Bland and Horne, who were competing in the last group, ended their rounds as darkness descended on the United Arab Emirates capital.
The 37-year-old Bland had an eagle at the second hole, which he was playing as his 11th, while the 38-year-old Horne started his round with three straight birdies.
Advertisement
Nine players, including Sergio Garcia, Paul Lawrie and Rory McIlroy, carded 66.
Poulter is trying to secure an automatic place on the European Ryder Cup side. He is sixth overall on the points list, a position helped by his win at the Singapore Open in November.
“I’d taken six weeks off before Singapore and put the clubs down for three to four weeks, and I’ve done a very similar thing this time around and put the clubs down for three-and-a-half weeks,” he said.
“I’m fresh and I’m hungry to go out and perform, and when you take a five-week break you get some excitement back to go out and perform. I’ve done that today.”
Garcia showed little concern for his injured right wrist, with three birdies in succession from his 12th hole.
Advertisement
Martin Kaymer, winner of the event in 2008, is well placed at five-under-par but Paul Casey, the defending champion, ruined his round with a penultimate-hole double-bogey in a level-par 72.