After encouraging starts, Louis Oosthuizen and Shaun Norris both found the going tough on the back nine during the first round of the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
Oosthuizen, playing alongside Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace, started on the 10th hole and made a sound start by making gains on the 11th.
The 37-year-old looked in great touch and made three more birdies before turning for home after an excellent 33. He failed to fully capitalise on the promising start, making a horrible double-bogey on the par-five third hole after his third from the waste area found the bunker. He dropped another three holes later to give back his early advantage.
He would finish with three pars to card a round of 71.
Norris, on the other hand, was the early leader on Thursday morning when he stormed to six birdies heading into the final hole.
The South African, who has achieved a great measure of success on the Japanese Golf Tour in recent seasons, though was unable to match last week’s start when he dropped from the lead.
Norris’ final hole tripped him up as he settled for a triple-bogey on the ninth, his final hole of the day, to conclude his round on three under.
The pair of Oosthuizen and Norris, who have high expectations of a successful year on the European Tour, will be desperate to eliminate the big errors on Friday in order to challenge for the title.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
