Sweden's Alex Noren shot a six-under-par round of 66 on Day 1 of the 2016 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and leads the field by one shot.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy carded a 68 to put himself firmly in touch, while veteran South African Ernie Els also finished on four under after an excellent display.
There are fourplayers sitting on five under, including Peter Hanson and Rafa Cabrera-Bello, and Noren will have to produce another brilliant display on Friday if he is going to retain the lead going into the weekend.
Here is how the top of the leaderboard looks after the first day of action at Emirates Golf Club:
| # | Player | Score | Day 1 Score |
| 1 | Alexander Noren | -6 | 66 |
| T2 | Rafael Cabrera-Bello | -5 | 67 |
| T2 | Trevor Fisher Jr. |