Perhaps it was appropriate that the first day of links golf in the 16-year history of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship should be dominated by a Scotsman.
Scott Jamieson might not be the most luminous name in the field in the capital this weekend, but he lit up the opening day’s play at Yas Links.
The 38-year-old Glaswegian fired a bogey-free 63 to lead the tournament at 9-under.
He will start Day 2 with a one stroke lead over Viktor Hovland, with Thomas Pieters a further shot back.
Seldom has Abu Dhabi been likened to Scotland before, but the type of challenges presented by Yas have been likened to the links courses of Kingsbarns and elsewhere in golf's Scottish heartland.
UAE residents might have regarded the conditions on Thursday as cool and overcast – but those terms mean something different to Scots.
Friday promises less temperate weather, with strong winds forecast – which should make Jamieson feel even more at home.
“For me, it's like playing in Scotland but it's warm,” said Jamieson, who has in fact been based in Florida since 2017.
“That's maybe the best of both worlds for me. It's a stunning-looking golf course. It's a great design. Tomorrow is going to be interesting.
“There's so many slopes around the greens. There's a lot of wind forecast. It will be interesting to see how they are going to set the course up.”
Jamieson’s stunning opening round stole the attention from a field including the likes of Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.
That, too, from a player who acknowledged he felt under pressure to retain his tour card before an improvement late last season.
“I was always around a number for keeping my playing rights,” Jamieson, who is ranked No 336 in the world, said.
“I managed to get my driving improved quite a lot at the tail end of the season, and had some good finishes when I needed them.”
His first-round excellence also belied the fact he was sleep deprived.
“I was suffering from a bit of jet-lag and woke up at about 3.30 this morning and for a morning round, that's a long time to think about how you're going to play,” Jamieson said.
“And there's always a bit of edge first round of the season, so 9-under par is a phenomenal start.”