DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Rafael Cabrera-Bello made nine birdies in
his first 11 holes to finish at 9-under 63 Thursday for a two-shot lead after
the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Marcel Siem and Scott Jamieson each shot 65.

U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy was three shots back, making seven birdies
on the last 10 holes. He’s tied for fourth with six other players, including
2010 PGA Champion Martin Kaymer.

“I didn’t really get much going on the front nine,” McIlroy said. “And
then I sort of got a few things going after that.”

Cabrera-Bello said he briefly thought about scoring 59, one shot better than
his career-best 60 that helped him win the Austrian Open. But he ended the round
with seven straight pars.

“It felt simple. I know it’s not and I know it’s really hard to repeat,”
the 119th-ranked Cabrera-Bello said. “But it felt like everything was going
nice and smooth today.”

Third-ranked Lee Westwood had a 69, and defending champion Alvaro Quiros
shot a 70. Robert Rock, who beat Tiger Woods and McIlroy at Abu Dhabi on Jan.
29, trails by 10 shots.

Cabrera-Bello said his consistent short game helped put him in contention
for a second European Tour win and first since 2009. The 27-year-old Spaniard
chipped within 3 feet on his fourth hole for birdie, then sank a 20-foot birdie
putt on his fifth and made a 15-foot putt on his eighth.

Cabrera-Bello said it’s too soon to start thinking about winning the
tournament.

“I don’t think anyone who plays good in any tournament in the first round
thinks about winning,” Cabrera-Bello said. “I’m sure that is one thing you
shouldn’t do. … You only need to think about how many times the first-round
leader ends up winning, which I don’t think is a very good percentage.”

McIlroy, who won the tournament in 2009 and finished second last month at
the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, started with six straight pars and a bogey. He
sank clutch birdie putts on No. 9 and 11 and missed a hole-in-one on the par-3,
15 by a foot.

Kaymer started slowly with a birdie and bogey on the front nine but had four
birdies to go with a bogey on the back. He finished off with an eagle after an
impressive drive on 18.

“I think I played very well. I hit a lot of good golf shots, hit a lot of
good iron shots,” Kaymer said. “I had plenty of chances today.”

Siem managed to upstage his more famous German compatriot with his 65. He
made a long birdie putt on No. 2, then chipped in on No. 6 for the third of his
four birdies on the front. The 223rd-ranked Siem challenged for the lead with
three birdies on his last four holes. But he found the water on the 18th with
his second shot and finished with a bogey.

“It was one of my best days of golf to be honest,” Siem said. “At the
beginning, I didn’t hit all the fairways. But on the back nine, I hit all the
fairways and my iron shots were all straight at it.”

Jamieson had five birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free 65.

Rock didn’t have much luck during his round.

“It was a pretty poor round of greens today. Hit the ball quite nice, hit
some good shots but my chipping was bad,” Rock said. “Ten is a long ways back.
There are a lot of people under par, so I have a lot to do.”

———

Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Tiger Woods shot a 6-under 66
Saturday for a share of the lead after the third round at the Abu Dhabi
Championship.

The 14-time major winner played a consistent round to move to 11 under for
the tournament.

Woods is tied with newcomer Robert Rock, who birdied his final two holes to
earn the 117th-ranked Englishman a first-ever pairing with the American star on
Sunday.

Rory McIlroy (68), Peter Hanson (64), Francesco Molinari (66) and Peter
Lawrie (68) are two shots off the pace. Four more players, including overnight
leader Thorbjorn Olesen (71) of Denmark, are a shot further back.

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP)—Steve Stricker made even the long putts look like tap-ins
on his way to a 10-under 63 on Saturday, giving him a five-shot lead halfway
through the PGA Tour’s season-opening Tournament of Champions.

Stricker played the final five holes in 5 under, which included a 3-wood—
up the hill and into the sun—that settled about 12 feet away for eagle. That
allowed Stricker to get a five-shot lead from Webb Simpson, and from the amazing
eagle-eagle finish by Kevin Na.

Stricker was at 15-under 131, two shots off the 36-hole record that Ernie
Els set in 2003.

Na, six strokes back at 9 under, wasn’t even part of the picture until he
holed a 5-iron from 221 yards for eagle on the 554-yard 17th hole, then hit
3-wood down the hill on the par-5 18th to about 10 feet for another eagle.

“It’ll be the best finish of my life,” Na said.

It turned a good round into a 64, and it at least kept Na in the hunt
against a 27-man field that suddenly felt much smaller when Stricker put
together a strong finish of his own.

Only eight players were within 10 shots of Stricker.

As much as he loves starting his year in Kapalua—this is his third
straight trip, the longest streak of anyone in the field—Stricker has yet to
hoist a trophy with a lei draped around his neck.

He took a big step toward that in the closing stages of the round. Starting
with a simple up-and-down on the par-5 ninth, Stricker was 7 under over the last
10 holes.

“I felt like I was going to make every putt I looked at for a while,”
Stricker said.

After his eagle on the 15th, Stricker holed a 15-foot birdie from the front
of the green on the 17th, and finished with a long two-putt birdie from just off
the 18th.

He has played the par 5s in 9 under for the week.

“I’ve had some good success here,” said Stricker, who has lost in a
playoff and tied for fourth over the last four years. “The more times you can
play it, the better off you are. I’d sure like to get off to a good start this
year.”

Rory Sabbatini was hit with a two-shot penalty at the start of his round for
being late to the first tee. It was a bizarre penalty, only because the practise
green is about 25 yards from the first tee.

His caddie, Mick Doran, took the blame. Instead of looking for the preceding
group to tee off, he was relying on his watch, which was four minutes slow. They
rushed to the tee, but it was too late.

Sabbatini had a 70—including the two-shot penalty—was 12 shots behind.

“It’s the first time ever for me on tour. I know it’s the first time for
Mick,” Sabbatini said. “I guess neither of us were really paying attention.
Just one of those goofy moments.”

Its the second straight year of trouble for Doran, who was on Camilo
Villegas’ bag last year with the Colombian was disqualified for tamping down
grass as his ball was rolling back toward him.

Martin Laird had a birdie putt on No. 13 to get within one shot of Stricker,
his playing partner. Four holes later, he was seven shots behind, hurt mostly by
missing two short birdie putts and by hitting his tee shot into the trees on the
17th. A search party found more than a dozen balls, none belonging to Laird.

The Scot had a 70 and was at 8-under 138, along with first-round leader
Jonathan Byrd, who had a 71. Chris Kirk was among the early starters and shot
66, though that turned out to be ordinary by the end of the day.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy shot a 30 on
the back nine Thursday at the Dubai World Championship to gain the early
advantage over top-ranked Luke Donald in the battle for the European money
title.

The 22-year-old McIlroy holed six birdies—including sinking a 20-foot putt
at the last—on the back nine to hit a 6-under 66 and sit third behind leader
Peter Hanson of Sweden (64) and 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie of
Scotland (65).

The Northern Irishman, who came from behind to win last week’s Hong Kong
Open, made a “couple of silly mistakes” on the front nine. He had a double
bogey on the second hole and then bogeyed No. 8 after hitting over the back of
the green.

“It was a perfect start to the tournament for me,” said McIlory, who has
been complaining of fatigue from a lingering virus. “To shoot a great score
like that really sets me up nicely for the next three days. The back nine was
just pretty much flawless. I held some really, really nice putts. Just giving
myself chances and opportunities for birdies, and lucky enough I was able to
make a few.”

Donald sank four birdies on the front nine but struggled on the back, making
three bogeys in a row to shoot a 72 for a share of 26th place.

The 34-year-old Englishman played his first tournament last week in South
Africa after a five-week break so he could attend the birth of his second
daughter and bury his father, who died unexpectedly last month.

“A mixture of two halves really,” Donald said. “I played solid the front
nine and hit a few shots that cost me, poor drives on 14 and 15 and it was bit
of a loose back nine, unfortunately. But trying to get better from here on
out.”

McIlroy’s performance keeps the Race To Dubai alive. He must win the $7.5
million tournament and hope Donald finishes outside the top nine. Should Donald
win the Race To Dubai, he would become the first to win both the European and
American money titles.

Two years ago, McIlroy lost the money title when Lee Westwood won in Dubai
to move past him. This time, he is happy to be in second spot.

“It’s sort of taken the pressure off me,” McIlroy said. “I’m sort of
like, well, I’m not 100 percent and if that doesn’t quite happen, it doesn’t
happen and there is nothing I can do about it. You know, so it takes the
pressure off in that way that you can just go about your game and try and play
as well as you can.”

Donald acknowledged it was a challenge playing alongside someone in such
great form as McIlroy.

“It’s always hard playing with Rory,” he said. “It almost feels like a
bit of a match-play kind of scenario. But the goal is to concentrate on myself
and just try and do what I can do to try and win this tournament. Hopefully the
rest will take care of itself.”

The only other golfer to have a run like McIlroy was Hanson, who made six
birdies on the back nine and eight overall. The 49th-ranked Swede is looking for
his first win this year and fifth career victory on the tour.

“Overall, it’s the best golf I’ve played,” Hanson said. “It’s a quite
demanding golf course and the wind picked up a little bit over the back nine, so
I’m very, very happy with the way I struck the ball and I rolled in a few
putts.”

Lawrie, who briefly held the clubhouse lead, was a surprise second
considering the 163rd-ranked Scot has won only once this year and hasn’t had a
top-10 finish since coming fifth at the Iberdrola Open in May.

“I played really nice today. Hit the ball solid,” Lawrie said. “Gave
myself an awful lot of chances out there, especially a wee run from the fifth
through to the 14th.”

Sergio Garcia of Spain is three shots off the pace, while Ross Fisher,
Robert Rock and Alvaro Quiros are a further shot back at 4 under in the
season-ending tournament.

The third-ranked Westwood and No. 4 Martin Kaymer both shot 73s to be tied
for 35th.

Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1

COOLUM, Australia (AP)—British Open champion Darren Clarke completed his final
round—a 2-under-par 70—at the Australian PGA on Sunday more than an hour
before the leading groups teed off.

Clarke’s early start—the second group of the day at 6:35 a.m.—came after
a self-described “brutal” 79 on Saturday, leaving him near the bottom of the
66-man field which made the cut.

Clarke, who’s traveling with the claret jug that he won at The Open
championship at Royal St. George’s in July, finished with a 3-over 291.

Next week he plays the Nedback Challenge at Sun City, South Africa, followed
by the European Tour’s season-ending Race to Dubai, and then an Asian Tour stop
in Thailand.

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—South Africa’s Hennie Otto shot a 7-under 65 Saturday
and took a three-shot lead after three rounds of the South African Open while
countrymen Retief Goosen and Ernie Els stumbled.

Otto had seven birdies and an eagle, leaving him at 14 under on Jack
Nicklaus-designed the Serengeti course. He is followed by four players—Goosen,
Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson and South Africans Thomas Aiken and Garth Mulroy.

Otto is bidding for his second European Tour title and first since the 2008
Italian Open.

“I haven’t won it yet,” he said. “It’s a new day tomorrow.”

Otto has appeared calmer on the course of late after once throwing his clubs
into a river during a tournament on the local Sunshine Tour.

“I’m not a guy who gets all nervous,” he said. “Maybe angry, not
nervous.”

Goosen, two-time South African Open winner, shot a 71 in a round marked by
birdies on the first three holes and bogeys at Nos. 9, 13, 17 and 18.

Els, who last year won the national open for the fifth time, soared to a 76
and is tied for 53rd. He took a nine on the par-5 No. 16 after hitting his tee
shot into the water. He was on the green in six and three-putted.

Els was twice forced to step away from his tee shot because of fans taking
photos on their cell phones while he was lining up.

“They should ban the guys and get them to hand in their cell phones,” said
Otto, his playing partner. “It gets to you.”

Carlsson carded a 66 to put him at 11 under. He was the lone player not from
South Africa among the top seven. He needs a top-two finish to keep his tour
card for 2012.

“I’m not going to think about it,” Carlsson said. “I’m not going to make
stupid decisions.”

Mulroy, who won the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week for his first
European Tour title, shot a 68. He recovered from four bogeys in his front nine
to make four of his six birdies on the way home.

Second-round leader Steven O’Hara of Scotland shot a 74 and was among those
five shots off the lead.

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP)—Richie Ramsay shot a 6-under 65 Thursday to take a
two-shot lead after the first round of the Andalucia Masters.

The 28-year-old Ramsay birdied four of the first 10 holes before an eagle-3
on No. 11. He chipped in for another birdie at the par-3 15th before his only
blemish on the Valderrama course, a bogey at the par-5 17th.

“Valderrama is the kind of course that suits me,” said Ramsay, whose lone
European Tour victory came in South Africa in 2009. “This course is a good
challenge for me. You need to play it shot by shot, and that’s all I did.”

The former U.S. Amateur champion took advantage of the favorable morning
conditions, as most of the top scores were made before the wind picked up and
trickles of rain came down over Valderrama, a course famed for its tight
fairways and undulating greens.

Ross Fisher of England was Ramsay’s closest challenger with a 67, while
Frenchman Gregory Havret and Scotsman Stephen Gallagher both shot 68 to trail by
three.

Fisher made three early birdies before a triple bogey at No. 8. But he stuck
an approach at the next hole to within four feet for another birdie, and picked
up three more shots on the back nine.

Sergio Garcia, coming off his first victory in three years and hoping to
become the first Spanish champion at Valderrama since it started hosting events
in 1988, was five shots back in a tie for fifth after an inconsistent round.

Garcia was at 4 under after an eagle at No. 11, but had two bogeys and a
double bogey over the next three holes. He finished the round by knocking in a
short birdie putt at the 18th to tie Peter Lawrie, Scott Strange and David
Drysdale at 1 under.

Martin Kaymer started with three bogeys but recovered for a 71, leaving him
tied with Spanish playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez and five other players,
including Francesco Molinaro. The Italian watched his putt from the fringe
wobble in for a birdie at the tough 17th.

Justin Rose was among a group of eight players tied on 72, while defending
champion Graeme McDowell trailed Ramsay by eight shots after a difficult start.

The golfer from Northern Ireland nearly had an ace at the par-3 15th then
missed his birdie putt. He then bogeyed No. 16 and rolled a 10-foot birdie putt
wide after recovering from a terrible approach at No. 17.

“Didn’t control my ball well at all, but kinda hung tough,” McDowell wrote
on Twitter. “2 over not a disastrous start. Got to control my ball flight
better than that if I’m going to compete this weekend.”

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP)—Scottish golfer Richie Ramsay shot a 6-under 65
Thursday to take a two-shot clubhouse lead midway through the first round of the
Andalucia Masters.

The 28-year-old Ramsay birdied four of the first 10 holes before an eagle-3
the 11th. His only blemish was a bogey at the par-5 17th on the Valderrama
course.

Ross Fisher of England was two shots behind, while Frenchman Gregory Havret
and Scottish golfer Stephen Gallagher both shot 68 to trail Ramsay.

Fisher made three early birdies before a triple bogey at No. 8. But he stuck
an approach at the next hole to within four feet for another birdie, and picked
up three more shots on the back nine.

Martin Kaymer started with three bogeys but recovered for a 71, to sit level
with Spanish playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez. Austrian player Martin
Wiegele also shot a 71, while Peter Hanson of Sweden and Mark Foster of England
were seven shots back after rounds of 72.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell trailed Ramsay by eight shots after a
tough start. The golfer from Northern Ireland nearly had a hole-in-one at the
par-3 15th but missed his birdie putt. He then bogeyed No. 16 and rolled a
10-foot birdie putt wide after recovering from a terrible approach at the tough
17th.

Sergio Garcia, coming off his first victory in three years, was 2 under
through 10 holes as he leads the charge for a first Spanish victory at
Valderrama since it started hosting events in 1988.

Fellow Spanish player Alvaro Quiros shot a 76 on an overcast day at the
course famed for its tight fairways and undulating greens.