Tommy Fleetwood was the star of the marquee group and finished the first round as co-leader of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on a day that provided a mixed bag for the 13 strong South African contingent, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

The Abu Dhabi Golf course was the scene of Fleetwood’s 2017 marker and the Englishman once again headed into the magnificent  Falcon clubhouse a happy man after hitting 18 GIRs en route to his opening 66.

The world number 18 was arguably the underdog in the group that included world number one Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, who returned to competition golf for the first time since his self-imposed three month layoff.

McIlroy showed little signs of rust even though it took far longer than expected to find his first birdie of the day. When the Northern Irishman finally got into red numbers – via a birdie on his 12th hole – he looked upbeat and made two more before signing for a bogey-free 69.

Surprisingly it was Johnson, who lost last year by a single stroke, who was finished last in the group after a level par 72 that included four bogeys and four birdies including one at the last.

The American, who won the PGA Tour’s 2018 opener in Hawaii, has some work to do as he finds himself in a share of 69th alongside countryman Matt Kuchar and South Africans Haydn Porteous, George Coetzee and BMW SA Open runner-up Branden Grace.

The 29-year-old was two under through three holes but surrendered shots at the 5th, 11th and 12th before his third and final birdie came at the 13th.

Zander Lombard and Darren Fichardt are one over through 18 with recent European Tour Q School graduate Jacques Kruyswijk, playing due to his top five finish last week, was two further back after Thursday’s opening round.

The best-placed South African is Richard Sterne, who overcame a slow start – he went par, par and bogey through the first three holes – to sit just two back of Fleetwood. The 36-year-old made a birdie on the 8th and every other hole until the 14th to climb the leaderboard before his final birdie of the day on the last saw him move ahead of Brandon Stone, Trevor Immelman, Dylan Frittelli and Dean Burmester.

One further back of that bunch is Thomas Aiken, who bounced back from a drop at 17 with a birdie on the par 5 18th.

It was a case of unlucky number 13 for veteran Ernie Els, a player that has thrived in the UAE in the past. The Big Easy, fresh off a solid week around Glendower, was four over after a back nine 42 which included five dropped shots in his last three holes.

Back to the top of the leaderboard, it was only bogey-free Hideto Tanihara of Japan who was capable of joining Fleetwood at the top with Thomas Pieters, Bernd Wiesberger, Fabrizio Zanotti and Ross Fisher all one back heading into the second round.