Rafael Cabrera-Bello grabs early lead at Dubai Desert Classic: Live Leaderboard-Last part
Continued from: http://www.senore.com/Rafael-Cabrera-Bello-grabs-early-lead-at-Dubai-Desert-Classic-Live-Leaderboard-Part-2-a128454
South Koreans have kept a low profile so far both on the PGA Tour as well as the European Tour and none of the rampaging players have made an impressive move in the current year.
Young Noh Seung-yul will probably be hoping to break his winless streak to card his second European Tour victory after his win at Maybank Malaysian Open in 2010.
Noh carded six birdies in all but dropped consecutive shots to lose his grasp. He stumbled on no fewer than three bogeys in the 18-hole stretch.
World number three, Lee Westwood posted an opening round of three-under, 69 to finish for a sloppy joint 18th.
Still struggling with his neck and elbow injury, the 38-year-old Englishman is not ready to let go of the season-starters.
He is hoping to card a victory to regain his second spot on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
He suffered a devastating cramp in the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
While doctors advised him to abstain from playing over the weekend, Westwood decided to persevere and finished for a joint 17th.
He posted another disappointing joint 12th in the Qatar Masters and is hoping to land the title over this weekend. He pulled in four birdies and dropped one shot at par-three, 4th.
Meanwhile, the most sought after player in the field, Rory McIlroy is currently playing for the remaining six holes on the back nine.
Starting later in the day, the Northern Irishman fell for a bogey on the front nine before he finally made up for the loss with a birdie on the ninth.
He carded another three birdies on the back nine and is three-under for the moment.
McIlroy made his debut here in Dubai, at the age of 16 in the year 2006, and had the privilege of playing along Tiger Woods in the event. He missed the cut by one stroke but came back in 2009 to lift the title.
This is his seventh appearance in Dubai Desert Classic and is hoping to bag an early victory to consolidate his position on the OWGR.
McIlroy has been desperately searching for a route to dethrone Luke Donald from the summit.
Some 16 players have just tee-ed off for their remaining nines and striving to surge up the leaderboard before heading into the weekend.
Defending champion Alvaro Quiros had a disastrous opening day when the Spaniard fell for three straight bogeys on the first four holes of the front nine.
He pulled in his lone birdie on the front before making the turn and another two on the back to level-par the round. He is still playing for the rest of the five holes on the back.
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