Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy tees off at the 3rd hole during the final round. Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship - Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates - 24/1/16. Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs Livepic
DUBAI (Reuters) - World number two Rory McIlroy, boosted by an unlikely birdie four on his front nine, made an encouraging start to his title defence by shooting a 68 in the Dubai Desert Classic first round on Thursday.
The four-times major winner's four-under-par effort left him two strokes behind leader Alex Noren of Sweden.
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