• Abu Dhabi Championship

McIlroy summons the spirit of Seve in the desert

Rory McIlroy produced a moment of brilliance that drew the biggest cheer of the day at Abu Dhabi Golf Club © Getty Images

Enlarge

Rory McIlroy summoned the spirit of Seve Ballesteros to conjure a moment of magic and spark a first-round revival at the Abu Dhabi Championship, with a five-under 67 leaving the world No.1 three shots off the lead in his first event of 2015.

With his ball on the lip of a fairway bunker at the third hole - his 12th - McIlroy overcame an awkward stance to find the green from around 100 yards and sink a 12-foot putt.

That was the first of five birdies in McIlroy's last seven holes, leaving him in contention as he looks to back up a stunning 2014 when he won two majors and returned to the top of the world rankings.

"I was just trying to get it on the green," McIlroy said about an impudent shot that revived memories of the late genius Ballesteros. "From looking like going one-over to finishing five-under, I'm very happy."

Rickie Fowler, McIlroy's playing partner, spoiled a great round marked by a string of superb putts by bogeying his last hole to also shoot 67 in his first ever round in the gulf.

McIlroy and Fowler will begin day two three shots behind leader Martin Kaymer after the US Open champion continued his affiliation with this tournament with an eight-under par 64.

Martin Kaymer leads at eight-under after sinking 10 birdies in his first round © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Rory McIlroy hits first competitive hole-in-one
  
• News: McIlroy: Court case won't distract me
  
• News: Reed joins McIlroy and Woods in elite group with PGA win
  

Kaymer, champion in 2008, 2010 and 2011, only carded six pars in a round that also included 10 birdies and two bogeys.

"I'm not sure if I have ever done it on a golf course, hit ten birdies," Kaymer said. "I hit a lot of fairways, my irons were sharp and I putted well. It's very difficult to shoot a bad score when you play like this.

"Now the goal is not to compare myself tomorrow to the round what happened today. Tomorrow will be a new start but it's a brilliant start to a great tournament."

Belgium's Thomas Pieters, who has never won a European Tour event, is a shot back thanks to a 65 under sunny skies and with just a hint of a breeze. England's Tyrell Hatton is a shot further back at six-under, alongside Brandon Grace, Gregory Bourdy, Alexander Levy and Miko Ilonen.

England's Tom Lewis, who shot to fame as the silver medalist at the 2011 Open Championship, and Miguel Angel Jimenez both recorded holes-in-one - Lewis at the 200-yard seventh and Jimenez at the 177-yard 15th.

McIlroy didn't swing a club for nearly a month either side of Christmas, but his complete break from golf has not done him any harm.

His first shot of 2015 was a 315-yard drive down the middle of the par-five 10th fairway and he birdied the hole for the perfect start to his attempt to win this tournament for the first time, after three runner-up finishes since 2011.

McIlroy's short game made up for some errant drives for the rest of his front nine but the spectacular shot on the third proved to be a catalyst. With one foot in the face of a bunker and the other out of the hazard, he had to open the face of his wedge and dig out a shot. The result brought the biggest cheer of the day from a sparse crowd at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

"It's not a shot I practice a lot," said McIlroy, who holed from 15 feet at four, 10 feet at five and seven and eight feet at the eighth for birdies that allowed him to chase down Fowler.

The American star, who lost out to McIlroy in the Open Championship and US PGA Championship last year, upstaged his rival by making six birdies in 11 holes starting at 15 - his sixth hole. However, Fowler sent his approach at the last through the green, misjudged a flop shot on the way back and missed a 10-foot par putt.

Justin Rose, starting on the 10th, carded bogeys at 11, 12, 13 and 16 as he went out in 40 before recovering with three birdies in his last eight holes to finish at one-over. World No.2 Henrik Stenson had a double-bogey on his first hole and did not make any birdies as he slumped to a four-over 76.

Abu Dhabi Championship leaderboard

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd