Thursday 16 January 2020 10:10, UK
Brooks Koepka showed little sign of tournament rust after making a strong start to his return from injury at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
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The world No 1 underwent surgery on his left knee in August and hasn't featured competitively since withdrawing mid-tournament from the CJ Cup in October, with Koepka then forced to withdraw from Team USA's Presidents Cup team last month.
Koepka told reporters ahead of this week's Rolex Series event that his knee "didn't feel the same" as it previously did, although the four-time major champion still posted an opening-round 66 to stay within two strokes of early pacesetter Renato Paratore.
"It's good to be back," Koepka told Sky Sports. "I missed the competition obviously. Played really solid. Missed a few putts early if I really want to pick it apart.
"Drove the ball well, controlled ball flight and controlled distances really well and that's what you have to do out here. Usually in the afternoon the wind picks up and you know that going in, so when you have a morning tee time, you have to take advantage of it. I did that today.
"It [the knee] feels fine. It was a little sore last night, that's expected. This is the first week I've walked 18 holes and I've done it three times already. It's a little tired."
Koepka sits in a share of second alongside Jason Scrivener, while Sergio Garcia is a further stroke back after a final-hole bogey saw him open with a five-under 67.
"I'm very pleased," Garcia said. "Obviously putted nicely and felt like I hit the ball quite well, so drove the ball fairly well for the most part.
"Just a little unfortunate on the last that that pitch bounced on that pitch mark and just died. Other than that, I thought I did well. I made a couple of really good saves here and there when I needed them and made some birdies where I had to.
"I can't put my hand on it or I can't tell you exactly why, but I've always enjoyed the desert. Usually it gets a little breezy here, so that kind of helps my game a little bit and I was happy to see a nice start for the year."
Watch the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday from 7am on Sky Sports Golf.
