Slow play penalties, elite players returning from surgery, and mixed fortunes for a couple of European veterans. Here's five things that stood out on the first day of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Speed it up, Spieth
Combating the scourge of slow play has been high on Keith Pelley's agenda since he took over from George O'Grady as chief executive of the European Tour last year.
Pelley deserves credit for pushing through the new regulations for 2016, with rules officials encouraged to impose "monitoring penalties" on offending players without first informing them if they are "on the clock".
Jordan Spieth was penalised by chief referee John Paramor after the world No 1 took an age over his birdie putt on his penultimate hole, proving that the Tour will not be selective on handing out punishments.
However, it is doubtful that Spieth - who earned over $50m last year - will be quaking in his boots over the prospect of being hit with a £2,000 fine if he incurs a second monitoring penalty.
Surely a shot penalty would have been a better punishment rather than a paltry fine?
McIlroy seeing it well
Rory McIlroy showed little sign of rust as his all-round game looked in fine fettle following his nine-week break from golf.
The world No 3 was let down time and again by a cold putter last year, but he backed up his immense long game with an assured touch on the greens during his opening 66 in Abu Dhabi.
McIlroy underwent laser eye surgery during his break, and maybe that helped him find the lines a little better as he used just 28 putts in his eight-birdie round which featured 16 greens in regulation.
But it was also clear that McIlroy is still an inferior putter compared to playing-partner Jordan Spieth, who admitted he was "short and crooked" off the tee but salvaged a 68 with 24 putts.
Birdies the best medicine
McIlroy was not the only leading player to have a medical procedure in recent weeks.
Henrik Stenson limped his way around Dubai and Sun City and then returned to Florida for keyhole surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Swede admitted earlier this week that just walking 72 holes would be a challenge in Abu Dhabi, but he looked in excellent shape as he jumped on the birdie bandwagon and returned an impressive seven-under 65.
Stenson celebrates his 40th birthday in April, but he prides himself on his fitness and if he can keep this up, he will be a key man for Darren Clarke at Hazeltine in September.
Westwood struggling
Talking of the Ryder Cup, Lee Westwood would be doing close-friend Clarke a huge favour by qualifying for the team on merit rather than be reliant on a captain's pick.
If Clarke had to consider his wildcard options right now, it would be hard to justify selecting a player who has dropped out of the world's top 50 and has recorded just one victory since 2012.
Westwood's confidence was lifted by winning all three of his matches at last week's EurAsia Cup, but he bogeyed four of the first seven holes in Abu Dhabi in near-perfect scoring conditions.
The veteran was still three over coming up the last, but he did at least give himself some momentum for Friday when his perfectly-judged third with a wedge spun back into the cup for a welcome eagle.
However, with exactly half the 124-man field breaking par in round one, Westwood is likely to need a minimum of a 68 to avoid a costly weekend off.
Aces high
Thomas Bjorn provided the ultimate response to an ugly triple-bogey seven - a hole-in-one.
The evergreen Dane birdied the 13th - his fourth - but then frittered away three shots when he made a mess of the 448-yard par-four 14th.
Bjorn, prone to the odd outburst over his career, would have been boiling as he stood on the tee at the next, but he was all smiles moments later after sending a six-iron 179 yards to the bottom of the cup.
And with spirits restored after the third ace of his professional career, Bjorn birdied four of his last five holes to return a commendable 68 - just four off the lead.
Bjorn was not the only player celebrating an ace at the 15th hole on day one. Gregory Havret emulated the feat in the later groups, although the Frenchman needed only an eight-iron for his "golden one".