Although Rory McIlroy has not played well in his first tournament of 2025, he is certainly not out of it at the halfway point.

If Rory McIlroy is to emulate the history of the likes of Ernie Els and Sir Nick Faldo, he will have to repeat his own history here at the Desert Classic.

Rory McIlroy is not playing at the level we have come to expect, but has precedence to lean on at the Hero Desert Dubai Classic.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy had to settle for a “scrappy” opening round of 70 in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Seeking a third straight win at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy carded four birdies and two bogeys to lie five shots off the lead shared by American amateur David Ford, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and Australian David Micheluzzi.

While Scotland's Ewen Ferguson has established a one-stroke lead at the Dubai Desert Classic after solid rounds of 67 and 65 pushed him to 12 under par, Jon Rahm of Spain and Viktor Hovland of Norway were among those who missed the 36-hole cut Friday.