Alex Noren leads Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy poised

Alex Noren set about trying to go one better than last year by taking a one-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic and Rory McIlroy also made an encouraging start on Thursday.

Noren finished runner-up behind McIlroy at Emirates Golf Club 12 months ago and the Swede began the 2016 edition of the tournament with a blemish-free six-under 66 to top the leaderboard.

The five-time European Tour winner started with a birdie at the 10th and went two under with another at the 17th before turning on the style on on the front nine – his back nine.

He came up with back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth after going three under at the first and ensured he would post the clubhouse target with a two at the par-three seventh.

Noren holds a one-shot advantage over Brett Rumford, Trevor Fisher Jnr, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and compatriot Peter Hanson, while defending champion McIlroy is ominously poised just two shots off the lead.

The world number two has won this tournament twice and will fancy his chances of completing a hat-trick after starting with six birdies and a pair of bogeys.

Four-time major-winner McIlroy made a poor start at the 10th, which would have been even worse had he failed to hole a 10-foot putt for a bogey after getting into difficulties in a bunker.

Back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 were followed by another at the 18th, despite landing his tee shot in the water, to put him two under at the turn.

The Northern Irishman, who claimed his first professional win in this tournament seven years ago, added another three birdies on the inbound stretch after a bogey at the second to put himself firmly in the mix.

Australian Rumford made a blistering start with four birdies on the front nine and another at the third ensured he is among the quarter breathing down Noren's neck.

Cabrera-Bello, the 2012 champion, also got off to a flyer with four birdies before the turn for home, but could only come up with one more, while Hanson was left to rue bogeys at the fifth and ninth after reaching the halfway point in 32.

Fisher Jnr would have held a share of the lead but for his solitary bogey at the sixth, while Ernie Els appears to have got over the yips as he is one of eight players on four under along with McIlroy.