Feb1 Ernielead

Ernie Els stamped his authority on the Dubai Desert Classic by shooting a 66 for his first round.

Much of the build-up has centred around Tiger Wooda, but Els was on fire. He is currently joint first with Jose Manuel Lara and Jvoti Randhawa.

Tiger has only just started his opening round and was level par after five holes. He has bogey on the second, but a birdie on the third brough him back into line.

But Ernie is concentrating on his own game and said: “I have got new goals and I want to stay focused on them. Now I am back to myself. I will become a factor in the Tiger world, so to speak!”

PICTURE: Getty Images