US pro David Ford is tied for the lead in the star-studded Dubai Desert Classic

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The 22-year-old American rookie making his European Tour debut upended Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and many of the world’s top players at the Dubai Desert Classic for a share of the first-round lead. Thursday.

David Ford, a senior from North Carolina, holed a 40-foot eagle on his first hole, reeled off five straight birdies during the round and posted a 7-under 65 at the Emirates Golf Club.

Ford is left, triplet, No. 6 in the novice world rankings and is playing outside the United States for the first time. He earned an exemption to the Dubai Desert Classic, one of the most prestigious events on the European Tour, as a prize for finishing the fall division of the No. 1 student golf program. 1 on the PGA Tour’s university level.

Asked if he expected to compete in Dubai, where six of the top 20 in the world are competing, Ford said: “I’m trying to keep my expectations low.” believe me, which is really helpful going into this week.

“I just tried to have fun. Just go out here and do the same thing I do at college events and keep everything simple and still have fun.”

Ford was tied for the lead with Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and Australia’s David Micheluzzi – and five shots ahead of defending champion McIlroy, who said he felt “uncomfortable” shooting 70 in his first round of the 2025 competition.

The No. 3-ranked Northern Irishman was 1 over after eight holes before playing his final 10 holes in 3 under — including a chip-in at No. 7, his 16th hole.

“I’m definitely not as comfortable as I was in practice coming here,” said McIlroy. “But it’s nice to have a card in your hand. It reveals things you have to work on.

“I got it and got it into the bottom couple, which is good, and I didn’t take myself out of the competition, which is important.”

Preston Summerhays, another top American scholarship player who played in the Walker Cup with Ford in 2023, shot 70 and was tied with McIlroy at 2 under.

Rahm, who plays on Saudi’s prestigious LIV Golf circuit, shot a 69 in his tournament debut. No. 8 Viktor Hovland, who admitted this week that he has been through a challenging period after playing with his swing, shot a 75.

Ford, who plans to become a major in May, has played three times on the PGA Tour — the RSM Classic and Barbasol Championship in 2022-23 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year.

At Bay Hill, he shot a 1-under 71 in his first round but followed up with an 83 to miss the cut.