January 23-26
Emirates GC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
$3,250,000
Round 2, Round 3, Round 4

Bryson DeChambeau believes he will possess a "scary combo" of distance and accuracy if he can get the latter under control after starting the defence of his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title with an opening 70.

DeChambeau carded a winning total of 24 under par as he cruised to a seven-shot victory last year, but a repeat of such scoring appears unlikely at a venue boasting narrower fairways and thicker rough.

Only 29 players in the 132-strong field at Emirates Golf Club managed to break par, with Belgium's Thomas Pieters leading the way with a five-under-par 67 to hold a one-shot lead over American David Lipsky.

England's Eddie Pepperell was part of a 12-man group on three under, with DeChambeau a stroke further back following a round containing four birdies and two bogeys.

"It's playing at least four shots harder a day (than last year) if it was to stay like this, no doubt," the world number 17 told Sky Sports. "The fairways are tightened up.

"It's a very, very good test of golf and you have to make sure your wedge game is on and your iron play out of the rough is on because you're going to be in there.

"I'm still working on the driver, it's a work in progress, but it will be a work in progress until I can get the right stuff in my hands."

DeChambeau opted to add considerable muscle mass during the off-season in a bid to increase the distance he hits the ball and feels it is a move which will pay significant dividends.

"The shot I hit on five, it was off line but it was still so far up there that I had a wedge in my hand," DeChambeau said of a wayward tee shot which still led to a birdie.

"At six I hit it 350 (yards) just into the first cut. I hit it really far, I can do that and now it's just about controlling it and if I can control it it's going to be a scary combo."

Pieters has always been one of the longest hitters in the game but it was the former Ryder Cup star's iron play which proved crucial as he raced to the turn in 32 and then recovered from dropping three shots in two holes with a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth.

"My drivers and three woods weren't very good today but somehow I found the greens and if I did hit a fairway I took advantage of it," said Pieters, who won a record four points on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016.

"I played the par threes very well which means I'm hitting my irons good as I did last week and I just rolled in a few putts, which was nice.

"I've been working on my putting really hard and wanted to see some progress. I saw that today and hopefully we can keep it up. I'm looking forward to the next three days."

Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington and former Masters champion Sergio Garcia are four shots off the lead after rounds of 71, while Open champion Shane Lowry returned a level-par 72 and pre-tournament favourite Tommy Fleetwood struggled to a 75.