The world’s top three ranked players were warned for slow play in the early stage of their rounds on day two of the Dubai Desert Classic.

World No.1 Lee Westwood and World No. 3 Tiger Woods were smiling in walking off the par three, 15th that they were playing as their sixth hole.

But waiting for them was European Tour Chief Referee, John Paramour.

“I advised Lee and Tiger that they were six minutes out of place and if they could pick up the pace of play,” said Paramour to Reuters.

Paramour then waited for World No. 2 Martin Kaymer to walk past and indicated the same to the German.

It had taken 90 minutes for the trio to play six holes after they had teed-up at 8am local time.

However there was delay of some 15 minutes on the 13th tee or the fourth hole of their round through no fault of the world’s leading trio.

This was pointed out to Paramour who indicated to Reuters: “The design of the 13th hole is not that favours the pace of play.”

There had been some 1,000 spectators lining the first hole to witness the trio tee-up with both Westwood and Kaymer commencing at three-under par and Woods at one under.

However Woods was in trouble from the outset in finding rough down the left side of the fairway.

The European pair walked off with birdie fours to move to four under par while Woods settled for a par.

The trio each took three at the par three, 11th before Woods managed to exact revenge on the par four, 12th less than a day after taking a double bogey.

Woods found both the fairway and green in regulation and moved to two-under par in holing his five foot putt.

After the lengthy delay on the 13th tee, Woods then found the rough right of green but managed a superb up-and-down for birdie to go to three under par.

Kaymer was struggling with bogeys at 14 and 15 to drop back to two under par and two behind Westwood and one adrift of Woods as the trio headed to their inward nine.