Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates Golf Club
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
26th February - 1st March 1998

Par 72 Prize Money £770,000

First Round Report

First Round Scores

Karlsson takes an early lead with Norman one-shot behind

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 26th February 1998 - Australian Greg Norman, ranked second in the world, overcame his indifference to the Emirates course to fire an opening round 67 which left him one stroke behind Swede Robert Karlsson in the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday.

Seve Ballesteros began the comeback he had promised by firing a 68, despite pre-tournament distractions which included having his luggage stolen enroute to the tournament.

Welshman Ian Woosnam also carded a 68 though he nearly missed his tee-off when he mis-set his alarm clock, while Jose Maria Olazabal, battling a temperature of 102 degrees, posted a 69.

Colin Montgomerie, the European number one for the past five years and playing his first event of the season, shot 70 but tournament favorite Ernie Els had to settle for a 71.

Norman was playing his 13th round in the European Tour event in which he also finished runner-up to Els in 1994.

After completing his five-under-par round, which leaves him tied for second with Spain's Ignacio Garrido, fellow Australian Stephen Allan and Scot Andrew Coltart, Norman is now 50-under-par for those 13 rounds -- all of them played under par.

"Fifty under and never won. It's got to come sometime, maybe this week because it was tough today," said Norman after five birdies and no dropped shots at the man-made "oasis" course.

"With the greens being quicker on the flat than Augusta, you just can't be too aggressive."

Ballesteros, who has taken nearly three months away from golf, was bubbling with confidence as he started to rebuild his game following a year when his fortunes were colored by his role as Ryder Cup captain.

After resigning from the captaincy immediately following Europe's September triumph over the United States in Spain last year, Ballesteros insisted he would get his game back quickly enough to win before the end of 1997.

That did not happen but after his round on Thursday the five-times major champion was forecasting better things this year.

"I thought I could win last year but everyone makes mistakes," said the 40-year-old Spaniard. "Now I'm making another prediction -- I'm going to win this year before the end of the year.

"I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself, though. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn't then it won't be the end of the world.

"For now, I played a lot of good shots today, very consistent and I felt very comfortable, only three times going off the fairway."

Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.