Player reaction after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday (4 February).

SOUNDBITE: (English) Alex Noren, Sweden:

"Well, very happy. I hit a lot of good shots, but a few bad shots and got away with it, and then you may end up (on) 66. So, I'm very happy and, you know, yeah, I didn't really expect it and then it feels even better."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Spain:

"Very pleased, obviously. It's been a great start, but on top of that I felt that I played really good, stroked the ball beautifully - I mean I hit almost every green, I had a couple of chances for eagle as well. So actually very happy with the way I played and also with this card."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Trevor Fisher Jr, South Africa:

"I changed putters again this week, picked my old putter that I won the Africa Open with, so maybe it can bring a bit of luck back this week. But just feel a bit more comfortable on the greens, and putting the old putter back in my bag again it's brought back memories, which is good for me, and the stroke feels good with it. So, just got to keep the same rhythm throughout the rest of the week and yeah, let's see what happens."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Ernie Els, South Africa:

"You know, I mean the way I started the year, on the greens especially and, you know, basically my whole game - physically I wasn't quite there either. So the last month has been a lot of work, off the golf course, on the course and so forth... and I feel things are good. And I love Dubai - I've got a pretty nice record here."