European Tour rookie Kevin Phelan could not have asked for a more disruptive introduction to his New Year.

The 23- year old Irish-born player teed-up still without his luggage containing not only a collection of new FL Partners logoed shirts but also his contact lenses, and despite his trouble at time in focussing Phelan still managed a level par 72.

Kevin Phelan sporting ‘borrowed’ attire during the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

“I got off a poor start to be two over after seven holes but managed to birdie my eighth and ninth holes that was nice,” he said.

“But the good news is that Etihad has found my suitcase and it’s due in tonight on a 7.30pm flight (local time) tonight.

“So hopefully it will arrive as I struggled a bit being in and out of focus not having my contact lenses.

“But luckily I am right eye dominant and it’s just the left eye is a bit off so it’s been pretty disruptive also losing my golf clubs but then they turned up on Tuesday.”

Wexford-born Phelan also commented the National Course rough, as did many players including Sergio Garcia who labelled it ‘dangerous’, that he had never played on a course with such thick rough since superbly contesting all four rounds of last June’s US Open at Merion.

“The rough is brutal and with the fairways just a little bit wider than Merion,” he said.

“So seeing the rough here brought back memories of Merion.”

Phelan is contesting the opening two rounds in the company of Co. Down’s Simon Thornton who shot a one under par 71.

And not that Phelan was concerned but no sooner after handing in his scorecard and he was asked to attend a random drugs test just as Shane Lowry had been asked following his disappointing 76.