Contrasting fortunes for golf’s future and past as Rayhan Thomas thrives and Tiger Woods falters at Dubai Desert Classic

A 17-year-old UAE-based amateur outplayed the majority of the field in the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, including Tiger Woods, who endured a miserable return to Emirates Golf Club.

Rayhan Thomas, left, shot a four-under-par 68 to take his place inside the top 10 after the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The 17-year-old amateur outplayed all the former world No 1Show more

DUBAI // Not so long ago, Rayhan Thomas would take a break from playing with his plastic starter set of golf clubs, and make an annual trip to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to watch Tiger Woods play instead.

Given the size of the gallery that follows golf’s most recognisable figure as a matter of course, Thomas reckons he could seldom get much closer than within 200 yards of his hero.

How times change. On his debut in the competition he grew up watching, the 17-year-old amateur from Dubai left the 14-time major winner trailing in his slipstream.

When the Indian prodigy signed for a four-under-par 68 after Round 1, he was three shots behind the leader, Sergio Garcia, a stroke better off than any of his playing partners — and nine ahead of Woods. Heady times indeed.

“Can’t complain, I holed a few putts,” Thomas said after his remarkable debut round at the Classic.

If those phlegmatic words convey the idea this was an I-do-this-all-the-time, normal-day-at-the-office, it was betrayed by a beaming grin of satisfaction. Thomas was rightly proud of his day’s work. “I hit some really good iron shots and had a chip in on five, so it was a nice day,” he said.

“Nice” understates it. Given the toils Woods has been facing of late, it was feasible Thomas might edge ahead of him with a good round. But he went better than the other two former world No1s in the field, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood, too.

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■ John McAuley: Five players who could win the Dubai Desert Classic

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His total matched that of the highest ranked player in the Classic, Henrik Stenson. And he outscored his more celebrated playing partners, Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia.

The fact Thomas, who formerly attended St Mary’s Catholic High School in Dubai but is now homeschooled for the benefit of his golf, was pitched in a group with fellow Indians worked to his advantage, he said.

“For my first round at the Dubai Desert Classic that group was perfect,” Thomas said. “Just two really great guys and I’m glad I played with them this week.

“They were speaking a lot of Hindi which I don’t understand. It was awesome, a really great group and I can’t wait to play with them again tomorrow.

“It was just business today so they weren’t giving me too many tips. They were acknowledging everything I did, so it was really nice of them.”

Thomas may still be a teen, but he is already well used to playing above his status. Last year, he became the youngest and only amateur winner on the Mena Tour. These, of course, are different stakes entirely.

The home hopeful had a steady gallery following him, and it was not like they were the residue of the illustrious three-balls playing ahead. Very voluble they were, too.

“There was a bit of noise,” Thomas said. “I think I annoyed Stenson on the seventh hole, when I made birdie on the [neighbouring] fourth.

“But no, it was awesome. They helped me ride the momentum today with just how much noise they were making, so I couldn’t really play bad.”

The contrast between the optimism of a raw colt starting out on his career, and a fallen star struggling through the early autumn of his own could not have been much more harsh.

Playing in the group two ahead of Thomas, Woods cut a disconsolate figure on his return to Emirates Golf Club for the first time in three years.

He has won twice around the Majlis Course in the past, and had a combined tally of 92-under for his previous 28 rounds here.

Somehow, despite carding an opening five-over-par 77 that was his worst ever around this track, he was still trying to countenance the idea he could challenge the podium this weekend. In truth, he will be lucky to make the cut.

“Hopefully this wind blows tomorrow and I shoot a good round and get back to even par,” Woods said. “That’s certainly not out of the realm of winning the golf tournament.”

If that sounded deluded, Woods was clear-minded enough in the rest of his self-assessment. Woods, 41, could easily have excused away his travails by saying his was playing hurt.

He is playing a second tournament in successive weekends for the first time since serious, career-threatening injury kept him out of action for 17 months.

He frequently looked to be in pain, and yet he refused to blame his poorly back for his errant play.

“I wasn’t in pain at all,” he said. “I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn’t doing a very good job. At the end I finally hit some good ones but damage had already been done.

“On top of that, I could have hung in there, I could have shot something near even par if I would have made some putts, but I made nothing.”

The die was cast early. Woods bogeyed his first hole, the par-5 10th, then repeated the failing two holes later after he left two shots short from the front edge of the 12th green. He bogeyed 18, 5 and 6, too, but through it all, he maintained hope.

“I’m fighting ... to try to shoot a score,” he said. “I’m trying to get back to even par, and once I get back to even par, try to get one- or two-under. Just try to creep my way back.

“I kept telling [caddie Joe LaCava], if we could get to even par at the turn, come on, maybe we can get to under par for the round, we can get this thing going, we can get it moving. And it just never materialised. I never did it.”

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