Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, the two most successful players in the history of Dubai Desert Classic, made good starts once again, but Sweden's Alex Noren took the lead after the opening round Thursday. World No. 2 McIlroy, the defending champion who has never finished outside the top-10 since winning here in 2009, started with a bogey in his four-under par 68, while three-time champion and holder of the course record (11-under par 61), Els closed with a bogey for his 68. The duo was among a group of eight players tied for sixth place, two behind the bogey-free Noren, who said he struggled with the layout of the golf course, and yet finished second behind McIlroy last year. Brett Rumford of Australia, who is back again this season after missing a major part of last year because of stomach surgery for blocked intestines, and Sweden's Peter Hanson, who has suffered from a back injury for nearly two years before being healthy again, were tied for second position at five-under par 67. Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello and South African Trevor Fisher Jr. were the other two players on 67. Noren said he did not feel very comfortable at the beginning of the round on a golf course that does not favor his fade game much. "I was very happy when it was all over because it didn't feel that good warming up. I hit my irons really good all day, but pretty average driving. It was tough on a few holes, a lot of draws here and I don't like to draw the ball," said Noren, who finished runner-up by three shots to McIlroy last year at 19-under par. McIlroy started on the par-5 10th hole, and could not get out of the green side bunker with his first attempt after hitting his approach shot into it. He made a good 15-feet putt for a bogey there. Later, he dropped another shot on the short, par-4 second hole. But the Northern Irishman also struck some magnificent shots. On the par-5 18th, he made a birdie despite hitting his tee shot into the water and taking a penalty drop, and then on the 13th hole, he needed to hit a huge cut shot from behind a palm tree which left him a 20-feet putt for eagle. He missed that, but made a birdie. And on the difficult sixth hole, he hit his second shot from the rough to a couple of inches. "I thought I did well, considering the start and having some of the shots I hit throughout the round. A 68 was probably a fair reflection of how I played. I don't feel like I could have really gone any lower than that but at the same time, I gave myself enough chances to make some birdies," said McIlroy. Els, who found 17 greens in regulation before missing his only one on the 18th by hitting his second shot into the water guarding the green, said he has a rib injury which bothers him a bit during hitting long shots. World No. 6 Henrik Stenson also started well with a three-under par 69. Jang leads in Ocala Top-ranked Lydia Ko shot a 3-under 69 Wednesday in the Coates Golf Championship in her first round of the season, leaving her four strokes behind leader Ha Na Jang. The 18-year-old Ko closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her fourth birdie on the back nine on the Golden Ocala course that features some tributes to holes at Augusta National, St. Andrews and others. Ko tied for second last year in Ocala to reach No. 1 in the world ranking, and went on to win five times, and sweep the points-based player of the year award, Race to the CME Globe and the money title. Jang made an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 for a bogey-free 65 and a three-stroke lead over six players. Winless on the LPGA Tour, the South Korean player also tied for second last year behind Na Yeon Choi. "It's perfect, no bogeys," Jang said. "I just keep going just simple, simple, simple." Jang had the first hole-in-one on a par 4 in LPGA Tour history last week in the season-opening event in the Bahamas. She used a 3-wood for the albatross on the 218-yard hole. US Women's Open champion In Gee Chun had a 68 in her first start as an LPGA Tour member. Kim Sei-young, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Kim Kaufman, Candie Kung and Kelly Tan also shot 68. Lexi Thompson was in the group at 69. She had only three pars on the first 14 holes, making seven birdies and four bogeys. US Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster, at 55 the oldest player in the field, also had a 69. Michelle Wie birdied three of the last six holes for a 70. She missed the cut last week in the Bahamas after a bee stung her on the palm of her right hand. Kim Hyo-joo, the Bahamas winner last week, opened with a 71. Stacy Lewis had a 74, making a double bogey on par-4 ninth after driving left into the trees. She tied for second in the Bahamas for her ninth runner-up finish in a 40-event victory drought that dates to June 2014. The 11-time tour winner has 22 career second-place finishes. Lewis played alongside Suzann Pettersen and Alison Lee, the two central figures in a Solheim Cup controversy last season in Germany. Lee opened with a 72, and Pettersen shot 73.
