Liang sets pace in Dubai

Liang Wen-chong was setting the pace at the Dubai World Championship today.

Liang, 57th on the money list and 85th in the world, raced to the turn at the new Greg Norman-designed Earth course in a four under par 32.

And when he added a fifth birdie at the 476-yard 12th Liang led by two from France’s Gregory Bourdy, who qualified for the tournament – and knocked Darren Clarke out of it – by winning the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

Liang finished with a four-under 68 but was joined in the clubhouse lead when South African Thomas Aiken had four birdies - and a bogey - in the last four holes.

Out on the course Cabrera-Bello, who shot a closing 60 to win in Austria in September, was on the same mark with eight to go, while Villegas was joined on three under by Australian Adam Scott and Aiken’s fellow countryman Charl Schwartzel.

Most attention, of course, is on the quartet striving for the Tour number one title and a bonus of almost €1m, but in the first round the pairings were done in reverse order.

That meant current leader Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, just over €128,000 behind, formed the last group just behind Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher.

McIlroy, Westwood and Kaymer would all take the Order of Merit by taking the tournament title, while 20-year-old McIlroy will be crowned the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros lifted it at 19 in 1976 if Westwood finishes outside the top seven, Kaymer the top four and Fisher the top two.

Lying joint third at two under were Englishman Chris Wood, Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Colombian Camilo Villegas.

Luke Donald, playing for the first time since further surgery on his troublesome right wrist last month, turned in 34, but slipped back to one under with a bogey on the 401-yard 11th.

Donald’s wife Diane is expecting their first child in late March – and if the baby is late, of course, the arrival could clash with The Masters at Augusta.

Justin Rose, who missed out on a US Tour play-off by a single shot in Florida on Sunday, was another who had crossed the Atlantic for the event, but he managed only a front nine 37 and remained one over with eight to play.

This was to have been the week when golf saw its first $10m (€6.7m) tournament, but because of economic concerns for the property developer sponsors it was cut by 25%.

The evidence of their troubles is there for all to see with an unfinished clubhouse and partly-built houses lining the fairways.