By 11am on the first day it seemed as if the story of the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic could already be written.
The highest-ranked player in the field, the champion golfer of the year, and general all-round phenom had singed the fairways at the Majlis Course, and was as good as out of sight already.
And then, all of a sudden, Collin Morikawa coolled, in inverse proportion to the rising temperatures across the city.
From 7-under par after 11 holes, the world No 2 started to falter. Between there and the end of his round, he gave three shots back to the field, shuffled down into a pack, and was leapfrogged by a number of less luminous figures.
By the end of the day, the lead was held by Joachim B Hansen, a player seven years Morikawa’s senior, but aeons his junior in terms of golfing achievements and celebrity.
Hansen did not drop a shot as he reached the mark of 7-under. And, unlike Morikawa, he stayed there.
The player closest to him, at 6-under, is Justin Harding, who will still have one hole to complete before the second round gets under way.
Beyond that is a group of players at 5-under par, including Tommy Fleetwood, and former Classic champion Sergio Garcia.
Then there is that guy Morikawa, lurking a shot further back. “It was a disappointing finish,” Morikawa said after signing for a 68.
“But I've been working Monday through Wednesday, even into yesterday late after the Pro-Am trying to figure things out.
“When you are thinking about so much, you always have to remember to go play golf. I'm happy with 4-under.
“Not thrilled, but to see just some things that I've been working on just show up on the course was really nice.”
Morikawa acknowledged in the build up he had been working intensely on his game, having been in the UAE for the past two weeks.
“Literally once I tee the ball to once I take the ball out of the cup, I've been thinking about everything, trying to figure out what to do,” he said after his opening 18 holes at the Majlis.
“And sometimes that's all you have and you've got to play with it, and that's what I'm doing.
“I'm trying to not worry about too much and just show up on the golf course, play golf, and just know what my miss is going to be. I think that's the biggest thing.”
Morikawa is a two-time major winner. Hansen has won twice on the DP World Tour himself, although he still cuts a relatively indistinct figure.
The second of those two titles arrived in this city, back in November when he won the Aviv Dubai Championship around the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
While that win made him “a bit more relaxed”, the world No 110 from Denmark said his first thoughts are still about doing enough to remain on tour.
“[I have] a bit more belief in myself, but still have to play pretty good golf to play here in 2023,” Hansen said. “So I’m just trying to do my best.”
No country has had more winners at the Classic than Spain, and two of their countrymen put themselves in contention on Day 1 this time around.
Each of Garcia and Pablo Larrazabal, who posted matching 67s for a share of third place, suggested the warmth had something to do with their good form.
“The weather really helps,” Garcia said. “It's a really nice golf course and I've done well here, so that also helps. It's usually a nice to way to start the year. You're always excited to come back.”
Larrazabal won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2014, and acknowledged the conditions in the Middle East suit him.
“Well, what are you wearing?” Larrazabal said. “You're wearing a shirt. You're not wearing a jacket.
“That's it. I play good with a shirt on. I don't like to wear jackets and all that stuff.”
