Stephen Gallacher displayed he was not about to relinquish his double Dubai Desert Classic crown while good friend Marc Warren edged closer to a Masters Invitation on day one at the Emirates Club course.
Gallacher and Warren, out at opposite ends of the draw, ended the day tied in sixth place and just two shots Austrian giant Bernd Weisberger who carded an eight under par 64.
Four players share second place with seven under par 65s – England’s Lee Westwood, Belguim’s Nicolas Colsaerts, England’s Andy Sullivan and American Peter Uhlein.
Gallacher and Warren are joined by England’s Seve Benson, Dane Anders Hansen, Germany’s Max Kieffer and World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
Double Dubai Desert Classic winner Stephen Gallacher right in the thick of the first day action with a 66 in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie0
Starting at the 10th, Gallacher soon ignited his round with a first-hole birdie before holing an eight-year bunker shot for eagle at his fourth hole to be three-under par.
He then dropped his only shot at his 16th before completing the closing eight holes in four under par.
Gallacher’s effort has him at 61-under par for his last 13 rounds of the Majlis Course while he’s a remarkable 44-under par since teeing up in round one two years ago.
“It’s always great in any round to get off to a good start as it quickly gives you something to build on,” he said.
“I did hit a poor tee shot at 16 or my seventh hole to take bogey but then I made a great par on 18 after doffing my second, and that’s what you really have to do when you’re not really firing as you have to churn out the pars and keep plugging away.
“So this round is a statement that I don’t want to give the trophy back without a fight.
“But then it is only the first round and I still have three rounds to play.”
And Gallacher smartly declined not to put the new TaylorMade R15 driver in the bag and instead stuck with the driver that earned him victory in the UAE last season.
“I stuck with the old driver purely because I was struggling swing-wise with the new one, so I was reluctantly to take the new out onto the course but then it will be in the bag for Malaysia next week,” he said.
“It was just a case of consolidating for me, and it was a quick change in the locker room before going out and also a change in my head (smiling).
“Rather than anyone else saying anything, it was my own decision and also with the wind in Qatar last week knocking me back into some old habits last week.
“So it was really a flip of the coin and the old driver won.”
And if Gallacher needed any reassurance of the worth of his ‘old’ driver he received that at the 451-yard par four, fifth hole where he was left just 131-yards to the green.
“I just nailed it at the fifth hitting it 320 but then thinking it might run out and into the water but luckily it pulled up short,” he said.
“And the good thing is that the conditions today were like when I won in 2013 and shooting 22-under for the four days so hopefully all goes well for a repeat of that effort.”
Warren capped his round with a remarkable eagle at the par five 13th where his tee shot landed in between two trees from where he ‘drill’ a 3-iron between a narrow gap in the trees and into the face of a distant bunker.
He did just that and with the ball popping up and landing 16 feet from the flag.
“I flushed the shot and it did just what I wanted it to do hitting right into the face, and it what like a long bump and run (smiling),” he said.
“But no matter as I’ll take it and to hole the putt was a huge bonus.”
And Warren’s effort, after moving 56th in the world following his second place finish last week in Qatar, has boosted hopes of joining Gallacher in this year’s Masters.
“I am already thinking of changing my schedule given I am so close to breaking into the top-50, so I might add another event or two if I have to,” he said.
“To qualify for the Masters is now the goal as I am into next month’s WGC – Cadillac Championship, and then if I’m into the top-50 I’ve got all those great events to look forward to.”
Paul Lawrie was the next best of the eight Scots carding a three under par 69.
