ABU DHABI // The Swedish flag adorned the leaderboard at the end of a rain-interrupted opening day of the fourth Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday night. Henrik Stenson, the player expected to fly that flag most prominently here, was, however, nowhere to be seen after incurring a two-stroke penalty for playing the wrong ball. That misfortune at the 16th, Stenson's seventh hole, left him seeking to complete a clean sweep of Desert Swing titles, having triumphed in Doha and Dubai, with a massive 10-shot deficit to his compatriots Johan Edfors and Mikael Lundberg who are joint leaders on six under par. They are a stroke ahead of yet another Swede, Jarmo Sandelin who is in a tie for third place with Italy's Francesco Molinari and England's Oliver Fisher. Edfors was first into the clubhouse with his outstanding score of 66 and was justifiably delighted by his round of seven birdies and a solitary bogey at the 14th.
He would have held the outright lead if he had capitalised on a brilliant second shot into the 557-yard closing hole but that became one of two frustrating three-putts on the back nine. "I made some good ones, though," said Edfors. The Swede has spent much of the last two years working hard on making adjustments to his swing and is now hopeful that his efforts will be amply rewarded. "I am really looking forward to this season," he said. "It would be great to get it off to a good start by doing well here. "I'm pleased with my game at the moment. I'm hitting my driver really well and my irons are going nicely too. That's going to be important over the next three days because you can't afford to miss too many fairways here with the rough being up. It's very punishing if you go into it." Two groups behind Edfors, who was playing alongside Sandelin, was the hottest threesome of the day involving Lundberg, Molinari and Fisher.
That trio fed off each other with Lundberg narrowly taking the honours after his bogey-free round of six birdies. His playing partners both matched his birdie hole but each of them dropped one shot to come in with 67s. Lundberg was pleased about his performance, especially in view of it being his first competitive round since November. "I needed the break and I feel better for it," he said. "I came out to Dubai early and I have been practising here since the Jan 4 and that seems to have paid off." He is not getting too excited, though, as he looks down the leaderboard at the cluster of big names ready to mount a challenge. "I am just going to try to be as relaxed and happy as I can and hope that approach will take me to my potential." All but three of the afternoon starters failed to finish and will resume on Friday morning when it is hoped that the tournament will get back on schedule. Twelve players will need to negotiate 28 holes in the day, though, for the halfway cut to be made as planned on Friday evening. wjohnson@thenational.ae