Lowry's desert scramble; Meadow's solid start

Shane Lowry/ USGA. Chris Keane

Shane Lowry needed his "major" game to avoid the carnage on the opening day of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The Clara man had to use all his scrambling genius to card a level par 72 on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club where deep rough, narrow fairways and rock hard greens sent scores soaring to a record average of 74.11.

He compared the set-up with last year's US Open at Pebble Beach or the US PGA at Bethpage Black but finished the day tied for 31st with Graeme McDowell as Ryder Cup skipper Pádraig Harrington chiselled out a 71 left him just four shots behind leader Thomas Pieters.

"When you get the early morning draw on Thursday you think you are going to get a bit of an easier golf course," said Lowry, who got up and down for par seven times out of eight, chipping in for his four from greenside rough at the eighth, his 17th. Scores

"But it is incredibly difficult with a strong wind, and it's really hard to hit fairways. It's a real grind. It's probably the toughest European Tour set-up I've seen in a long, long time."

Like Pieters, who shot a five-under 67 to lead by a shot from American David Lipsky, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau went with a bomb-and-gouge approach and opened with a two-under 70 on a day when just 29 players broke par.

"The Scientist" won by seven shots on 24-under-par last year but Lowry is expecting a more modest winning total this week.

"It certainly won't be 24-under," said Lowry, who holed a series of crucial par putts in the eight-foot range as well as a 25 footer for a bogey at the par-three fourth, where he was in the lake with his tee shot. "Well, 24-under will win, but it will win by about 12."

McDowell finished birdie-birdie for his 72 as he chases crucial points in his quest to make the Ryder Cup team through the World Points List.

But was an even better day for Harrington (48) in his first appearance in the event since 2004. After covering the back nine in two-under thanks to birdies at the 17th and 18th, he dropped shots at his first two holes after the turn before playing the toughest stretch on the course in one-under.

"I'm happy because I finished strong," Harrington said. "I four-putted the second hole today, my 11th. So at that stage, I had thrown away a few shots. I did the same at the 13th and took four shots from nowhere.

"Firm greens really sort us out. If you do miss the fairways, coming into firm greens, it's very difficult."

Stephanie Meadow. Picture: Press Eye

On the LPGA Tour, Stephanie Meadow made 17 pars and a birdie in a one-under 71 in her first start of the season in the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Florida. She finished the day tied for 16th, five shots behind Jessica Korda. Scores

It was a tough start to her LPGA Tour career for rookie Leona Maguire, who hit just seven greens in regulation and after starting with a pair of sixes to be three-over after two holes.

She would make just one birdie in a seven-over 79 but still has time to recover as she was just four shots outside the top 70 who will make the cut.