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Joachim B. Hansen is making a nice habit of 18-hole leads in Dubai. He knows how to turn an early edge in the Emirate into lasting DP World Tour glory too, although going the distance at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic this week is going to be an altogether tougher assignment than his near wire-to-wire win at the AVIV Dubai Championship in November.

A bogey-free seven-under 65 earned Hansen the overnight lead at the $8 million Rolex Series event, albeit with an asterisk. When fading light forced the suspension of the opening round, Justin Harding was six-under with the eminently birdie-able 18th still to play. The 35-year-old South African, like Hansen a two-time DP World Tour winner, will return at 7.45am hoping to edge alongside or even ahead of the Dane, before a quick turnaround for his 8.40am second round tee-time.

It’s not just Harding that will have had Hansen sweating on the lead though.  

Former champion Sergio Garcia and desert specialist Tommy Fleetwood are in a group of six at five-under, Fabrizio Zanotti included. The Paraguayan also has the 18th to complete so will fancy moving up like Harding.

Just a stroke further back on four-under, meanwhile, are a gaggle of six featuring Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, the world numbers two and five respectively. If that wasn’t sobering enough, the names of Scott, Westwood and Hatton light up those on three-under, further evidence, not that Hansen needed it, that winning at Emirates Golf Club is going to be far tougher than clinching the penultimate event of the 2021 season at JGE proved. 

“A bit of shame there wasn’t any more tournaments at the end of last year but [I’ll] try to keep it going,” said Hansen who went on to a share of 9th at the DP World Tour Championship the week after the Dubai Championship.

“I’m a bit more relaxed, have a bit more belief in myself [after finishing 37th in last year’s R2D standings]. But still have to play pretty good golf to play here again in 2023. So just trying to do my best.”

Hansen’s best on Thursday was as good as his post-round comments were to the point. “Pretty good,” the world No. 110 said when asked for a summation of his 65. “I kept the ball in play. I didn’t drive it that well. Putted fantastic.”

Friday’s galleries will no doubt swarm to the Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger three-ball, off the 1st tee at 12.20. McIlroy and Wiesberger will resume one-under, notably a stroke behind Dubai 17-year-old Josh Hill who got it to four-under but finished tied on 70 with Texan Sam Bennett in the race for amateur honours. Emirati No.1 Ahmad Skaik signed for a 75.