By Kent Gray
The last time Jamie Elson teed it up in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Tiger Woods finished fifth. The 14-time major champion mightn’t be in the field this week – he’s shifting the needle at Torrey Pines – but Elson reckons the “Tiger effect” is arguably even stronger in the desert 14 years later.

The MENA Tour champion fired a fine 68 in his opening round but given Thursday’s red-hot scoring, he figured four under was the least he had do to have a crack at the halfway cut and with it keep alive the long shot of a return to the European Tour full-time.

Elson has three confirmed starts – he’s playing Malaysia next week and Morocco in April courtesy of topping the developmental tour’s order of merit – and will need to excel in all three to have even a remote sniff at a 2018 card (save for qualifying via Q-School at the end of the season).

As the first round scorning showed, that’s no cinch. And for that, Elson reckons Tiger has a lot to answer for, in a very positive way.

“Obviously everyone that’s playing here wants to do it on a regular basis, not just two or three times a year. But it’s hard going, I mean the standard in the last five or six years has just gone through the roof,” said Elson.

“I think it’s the Tiger Woods effect really. I think the kids that he inspired to start the game are now 25 years of age and they’re pros, and they’re, you know, flying it 300 yards through the air. I mean you look at the scores, never used to shoot scores like that around this sort of golf course, but you know that’s the standard these days and that’s what you have to do.

“You see Rory just flicks it round, seven under like he’s in his sleep, seemingly. I know he puts a lot of hard work in to it but he’s that good. He drives it that well, he’ll probably shoot that score every day if the weather stays the same.”

Elson was pretty chuffed with his own driving Thursday in a bogey-free loop of the Majlis that left him in a share of 26th place overnight. Still, he knows he has work to do to make his second Desert Classic weekend; he finished T-63 in his maiden pro event here in 2003 but missed the cut a year later when Tiger contended.

“Yeah, no complaints with that. I’ve not had a card in my hand since King Hamad Trophy in November so no matter how much you practise, you don’t really feel that prepared unless you’ve played a couple of tournaments leading up to it. Sort of thrown in at the deep end to a certain extent.

“I just drove it quite nicely which I think that’s the most important club in the bag really, its very much a long game course. If you’re knocking it in the fairways you’ve not got a huge amount left to do.”

Elson was the best of the four MENA Tour players Thursday though amateur Todd Clements followed closely with a 69. Yas Links attached Englishman Luke Joy also dipped into the red with a 71 while Indian 18-year-old Rayhan Thomas has the most work to do to make the weekend after a 73.

“It’s obviously a great incentive when you’re playing on the MENA Tour to be able to peg it up in these sort of events and test yourself against the best.”

So far, so good, Tiger effect and all.