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Special K – Karlsson Leads But It’s First Blood To Kaymer In Race To Dubai
25 November 2010
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Dubai (UAE): Sweden’s Robert Karlsson is the early leader of the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World but it’s Martin Kaymer who remains on course to become Europe’s new Number One.
Making his first appearance in the event, towering Swede Karlsson produced the round of the day with a spectacular seven under par 65 over the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates to lead South Korea’s Seung Yul Noh (66) by one with Germany’s Race to Dubai leader Martin Kaymer a further shot adrift on five under par. Graeme McDowell, the only threat to Kaymer in The Race to Dubai standings, is five shots behind the German on level par.
Remarkably, Karlsson’s 65 started and ended with a bogey with eight birdies and an eagle in between. Had the Swede – who also bogeyed the ninth – not faltered on the closing par five 18th he would have matched the course record 64 set by defending champion Lee Westwood in last year’s final round.
“I didn’t know that much about the course, except I know there were a lot of low scores last year,” said Karlsson, whose last European Tour victory was nine months ago at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.
“I think it’s one of those courses, when you’re playing well, it’s easy to get close to the pins because the greens sort of feed to them. But if you’re off, it’s very difficult to set yourself so I think that’s why my score today was a bit like that. I made a lot of good stuff and when I missed it, it was difficult to save myself.”
Karlsson’s 65 was just one highlight on a memorable opening day in a tournament that offers $7.5 million in prize money and a share of the $7.5 million Bonus Pool and showcases a personal battle to be European Number One between Kaymer and McDowell.
And it was Kaymer who drew first blood in the battle between the two Major champions as he quickly got into his stride with a start that saw him three under for the opening three holes thanks to a birdie on the second followed by a magnificent 7-iron from 192 yards for eagle on the third.
It was undoubtedly a psychological advantage for Kaymer who was playing in the last two-ball of the day with his Ryder Cup team-mate McDowell.
“I was three under after three holes and he was level par so that helped me focus more on my game,” said Kaymer. “If it had been the other way around, I don’t know how I would have reacted, but that definitely helped. I think you always have to remind yourself why you are here, to win the golf tournament, get back to the basics and try to avoid focusing on things other than your own game.”
McDowell admitted that Kaymer’s flying start did play a part in what proved to be an up-and-down day for the US Open Champion. “Obviously it was a tough day because Martin got out of the traps early and kind of left me in the dust, literally, out there.
“I was kind of struggling to get things going a little bit and had a couple of careless three putts around the turn and things seemed to be getting away from me a little bit. But I was happy to dig in coming in and make a couple of birdies, and I certainly didn’t play myself out of the tournament today.”
Lee Westwood, who will lose his World Number One slot to Kaymer should the German win the Dubai World Championship and Westwood finishes worse than second, said he was still playing his way back to fitness after an opening round three under par 69.
“I played really solidly and you could say that it should have really been 66 or 65,” he said. “My iron shots were pretty good but you can’t win tournaments on Thursdays, so it’s a decent start.”
Despite Kaymer’s stunning eagle on the third, the shot of the day undoubtedly belonged to South African Charl Schwartzel who claimed a hole in one on the par three, 186-yard sixth on his way to a three under par 69.
Spectators wishing to attend the tournament can download free tickets from the website www.dubaiworldchampionship.com. Play gets underway at 7.30am.
Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World is supported by Premium Partners Rolex, Emirates, and BMW; Sponsors Atlantis, CNN, The National and Polo/Ralph Lauren; and Event Supporters Dubai Duty Free, MMI, TNT and Toshiba.
