Shane Lowry brushed off the disappointment of allowing last week’s Dubai Invitational to slip from his grasp by bouncing back with a solid opening round 70, two-under-par, in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – a $9 million Rolex series event on the DP World Tour – where Italian Francesco Molinari rolled back the years to navigate a way to the top of the leaderboard.

Molinari, the 43-year-old Europe Ryder Cup vice-captain who hasn’t won the DP World Tour since his Open success in 2018, carded a superb seven-under-par 65 to claim the clubhouse lead.

Lowry, though, stayed very much in touch in a round that saw the Offalyman produce five birdies and three bogeys on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club in the UAE where, traditionally, he has often found the going tough.

A week on from a double-bogey finish on the 72nd hole of the Dubai Invitational which allowed Spaniard Nacho Elvira to claim a third career win on the circuit, Lowry responded with a round that got him into the top-10 from the first wave of players.

Rory McIlroy, a four-time winner of the Desert Classic, had to show fortitude after a double-bogey seven on the 18th, his ninth hole, to ultimately sign for a one-over 73.

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That seven on the Par 5 18th came after a poor wedge approach spun back into the water hazard guarding the green. McIlroy had three birdies, two bogeys and that double-bogey in a mixed bag of a round.

Molinari’s round in some ways came out of the blue, but he explained: “ Last week I felt very rusty, so I was hoping it would be very good prep for this week. My putter was the biggest difference to be honest. Made some nice putts. Kept the round going in the middle where I played a couple of iffy holes and made some good pars. “

And the Italian credited veteran coach Denis Pugh with getting him back on track, Molinari’s last win anywhere coming in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour in 2019.

“It’s been a long time. I’ve changed everything and then I’ve changed back,” he said. “I’m back working with Denis Pugh. That’s been really nice. He doesn’t travel to tournaments anymore but I see him just a day a month at home, and he’s always been great and sort of simplifying stuff for me and clearing stuff out of my mind that doesn’t need to be there. And that’s been the biggest help.”