Rory McIlroy is joint leader of the Abu Dhabi Championship with Robert Karlsson after firing a five-under-par first round 67.
The US Open champion made two bogeys and seven birdies to outscore playing partners Luke Donald and Tiger Woods.
"It's a good score but I don't feel I drove particularly well," said McIlroy.
"I didn't hit it in the fairway enough - that's something I'm going to have to work on, on the practice range.
"I'm going to need to hit the ball in the fairway a lot more over the next three days."
Former world number one Woods shot a bogey-free 70 while the current top ranked player Donald is one shot further back on one-under.
The 14-time Major winner birdied the 11th - his second hole - in a round that was made up of 16 pars.
"I controlled my ball all day and just had a hard time getting a feel for these greens," said Woods.
"I didn't quite read them and my speeds went off because I just didn't have it right."
Donald, starting on the 10th with Woods and McIlroy, opened his round with eight successive pars and back-to-back birdies before a bogey on the par three seventh halted his progress.
Defending champion and winner of three of the last four Abu Dhabi Championships Martin Kaymer struggled in his first round, carding a five-over-par which included a double-bogey six from the first.
Karlsson, McIlroy's partner at the top of the leaderboard, sank seven birdies in his opening round despite missing a series of fairways and greens.
"I'm very proud of myself because I scored really well but I think I'm going to have to do quite a bit of work on the range now," said the 42-year-old.
Meanwhile Sergio Garcia, who finished one-under-par, shot his first European Tour hole-in-one on the 12th before compatriot Jose Manuel Lara achieved the exact same feat.
