DOHA, Qatar – Oliver Fisher carded eight birdies on the opening day to take a solo one-shot lead at the Qatar Masters on Wednesday.

The Englishman’s only blemish in a 7-under-par 65 was when he bogeyed the 13th hole, but he edged Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain by one stroke on an eventful first day at Doha Golf Club.

“I played nice, it was a little bit breezy, and I felt like I controlled my golf ball,” said Fisher, who won the Czech Open in 2011 but then went two years without finishing among the top-10 before finding his form last year.

Ernie Els and Paul Lawrie were among 11 players tied for third at 5 under. Els was especially pleased with his putting.

“I’m actually not a grumpy guy, I’m quite a happy guy, but when you’re not making putts, you can’t help yourself,” Els said.

Fisher started in the afternoon from the 10th hole and posted a hat trick of birdies from the 16th hole before carding three more on Nos. 4, 6 and 8.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, making his first European Tour start of the season, finished at 3 under.

Cabrera-Bello set the early pace by playing an immaculate opening round with six birdies. His best came on the par-3 8th where his tee shot finished few feet away from the pin.

“I had a good stretch from 16 (hole) to 2, which for me are the birdie holes where you can go low,” the two-time European Tour winner said. “I managed to do that with four birdies there, and just kept playing solid till I got home.”

World No. 5 Justin Rose carded 4 under, along with Ryder Cup teammate Stephen Gallacher, Matt Fitzpatrick, Damien McGrane and Scott Jamieson.

“They kind of made us feel like there’s a score to be had out there,” Rose said. “It’s nice to be somewhere in contention, and it’s a score on which to build for the rest of the week.”

The European Tour has served up final-day turnarounds at the South African Open and the Abu Dhabi Championship to make for a compelling start to the 2015 season.

History suggests the tight finishes and drama will continue at the Qatar Masters starting Wednesday.

Spanish star Sergio Garcia has been at the center of dramatic finales in Doha over the past two years, losing out to Chris Wood’s 72nd-hole eagle in 2013 but returning in 2014 to win a playoff with Mikko Ilonen after shooting a closing 65.

Garcia is back for the second leg of the desert swing for his 2015 debut, meaning he is behind the likes of Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson – fellow members of the world’s top six who both got competitive action in Abu Dhabi last week and will also play in Qatar.

While Stenson missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, Rose recovered from a scrappy first 18 holes to post rounds of 69, 69 and 65 for a 12th-place finish and show he is finding his form after extended time off over Christmas.

“I’m here these two weeks to obviously compete as best I can but also to get a read of where my game is,” Rose told The Associated Press. “I felt I made rapid improvements as the week went on. I’ll be more competitive (in Qatar), for sure. I’m going there with a bit of confidence now.”

Rose plays on the PGA Tour but has chosen to play his opening events of the year on the European Tour to get some points stored up in the Race to Dubai.

The No. 5-ranked Englishman is looking for his first win since back-to-back victories last summer, at the Quicken Loans National and the Scottish Open.

Top-ranked Rory McIlroy is taking a week off ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic, as is U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, who blew a 10-shot lead during the final round in Abu Dhabi to lose to France’s Gary Stal. It’s been an early-year theme on the European Tour, with Andy Sullivan coming from seven shots back in the final round to win in South Africa the week before.

Stal arrives in Doha ranked a career-high No. 103 and still wondering how he managed to claw back the big deficit to Kaymer to claim his first title on the European Tour.

French golf is on the rise, with Victor Dubuisson a member of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team last year and Alexander Levy winning twice in 2014.

“It’s just one (player) pulling the other, basically,” Stal said of the French resurgence. “Hopefully, it will be more after me – or more for me.”

Stal is one of 14 Frenchmen in the field for the $2.5 million event.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Gary Stal of France came from 10 shots behind to capitalize on an improbable meltdown by Martin Kaymer and win the Abu Dhabi Championship after a frantic final round on Sunday.

Kaymer looked like cruising to a fourth title in Abu Dhabi after making three birdies in his opening four holes to extend his six-stroke lead from overnight, only to drop six shots in seven holes around the turn.

The No. 357-ranked Stal pounced with six birdies from Nos. 4-11 and held himself together down the stretch, picking up another shot at the 16th to capture his first European Tour title. He shot a 7-under 65 for 19 under overall.

Kaymer shot 75 for 17 under and third place. Top-ranked Rory McIlroy had a 66 to finish second, a shot behind Stal.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Martin Kaymer turned what promised to be an exciting weekend duel with Rory McIlroy into a procession at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Seeking a fourth title in eight years in Abu Dhabi, Kaymer shot a 7-under 65 in the third round on Saturday to extend his overnight lead from one stroke to six. He moved to 20-under 196 overall – a record-low total here after 54 holes.

The U.S. Open champion’s pace was too hot for McIlroy, whose putting failed to match his tee-to-green play as he shot 71. The top-ranked McIlroy is eight strokes behind Kaymer and dropped from third into a share of fifth.

Belgium’s Thomas Pieters shot 70 to stay second and will play in the final group Sunday for the second straight day.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy made his first competitive hole-in-one as a professional as part of a brilliant back nine that propelled his pursuit of Martin Kaymer in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday.

The world No. 1 threw his hands in the air and high-fived playing partner Rickie Fowler after his 9-iron from 177 yards at the par-3 15th landed a yard from the hole, hopped right and trickled into the cup.

“It never left the pin,” McIlroy said after ticking off one of the few things he’d yet to achieve in his golf career.

A 6-under 66 – completed with a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 18 – moved McIlroy into third place on 11 under, two shots behind Kaymer, to set up a potentially thrilling duel over the weekend between two players who won three of last year’s majors.

McIlroy will do well to dislodge Kaymer, though.

The U.S. Open champion followed up a first-round 64 with a 67 to give himself a great chance of a fourth title at the National Course – where he won in 2008, ’10 and ’11.

Kaymer, who maintained his one-stroke lead from overnight, is a strong front-runner – as shown by his wire-to-wire victories in last year’s U.S. Open and in Abu Dhabi in `08. He is even threatening to challenge his own record low total in this tournament, set in ’11 when he shot a 24-under 264.

“It’s one of the only tournaments where you stand on the first tee and you pretty much know you have birdied every single hole,” said Kaymer, whose second-round highlight came on his 10th hole when he chipped in for birdie from a greenside bunker.

Separating Kaymer and McIlroy on the leaderboard is Thomas Pieters, a strapping 22-year-old Belgian who is starting to fulfil his potential after an impressive college career in which he was NCAA champion in 2012.

Pieters, seeking a first European Tour win, shot a 67 for 12 under.

Among the players to miss the cut – at 2 under – in the first tournament in the annual Desert Swing were defending champion Pablo Larrazabal, No. 2 Henrik Stenson and Italy’s Matteo Manassero. Fowler shot a 75 to drop to 2 under and just make the weekend.

McIlroy recalled making 10 hole-in-ones, the last coming in a pro-am two years ago. His first came at the age of 9 and was also a 9-iron, on that occasion from 106 yards at his home course in Holywood, Northern Ireland.

But one of the most thrilling feats in golf had evaded him in competitive professional play until he stepped up at No. 15, slightly downbeat after missing very makeable birdie putts on Nos. 13 and 14.

He stayed in his pose as the ball drew in, kicked right on landing and took a couple of small bounces before plopping in.

“I didn’t need to get the putter out on that hole,” said McIlroy, who walked up to the cup, repaired his pitch mark and scooped the ball out to whoops and hollers from the crowd.

McIlroy was delighted with his ball-striking on a day that revived memories of his stunning year in 2014, when he won two majors and returned to No. 1. He has quickly shaken off the rust following time off over Christmas.

“Ball-striking, couldn’t really fault it,” McIlroy said. “Just really happy with how I’m playing.”

Kaymer is playing even better, though. Out early in benign conditions – sunny and without a hint of wind – Kaymer’s unforgiving driving and iron play was as strong as in the first round but his putting wasn’t as prolific.

His bogey-free score contained five birdies and should have been lower, with a 3-footer on No. 6 (his 15th) one of a number of birdie chances spurned.

“My game feels like there’s isn’t much that will go wrong,” said Kaymer, who is 100 under par for his last 30 rounds on the National Course.

Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger shot a 65 for the lowest score of the second round.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Martin Kaymer rekindled his fondness for the Abu Dhabi Championship by rolling in 10 birdies to shoot an 8-under 64 in the first round on Thursday, giving the German a one-stroke lead in an event he has won three times.

Living up to his tag of the “King of Abu Dhabi,” Kaymer showed the form on the greens that brought him titles in the desert in 2008, ’10 and ’11, and looked energized after time away from golf over Christmas.

“I putted very well,” Kaymer said. “Ten birdies? I’m not sure I have done that in my golf career.”

Top-ranked Rory McIlroy and American star Rickie Fowler were also playing their first tournaments of 2015, and fed off each other’s brilliant putting on their back nines to shoot 67s.

McIlroy’s round was revived by a superb, improvised wedge shot from the lip of a fairway bunker on his 12th hole, setting up the first of five birdies in his last seven holes.

“I was just trying to get it on the green,” McIlroy said about his impudent 95-yard shot from an awkward stance that revived memories of the late Seve Ballesteros. “From looking like going 1 over to finishing 5 under, I’m very happy.”

Unheralded Belgian Thomas Pieters shot a 65 to lie alone in second place, with five players – Branden Grace, Gregory Bourdy, first-year tour player Tyrrell Hatton, Alexander Levy and Mikko Ilonen – tied for third on 6 under.

Kaymer ripped up his usual festive routine – which can involve hitting some balls on Christmas Day at his base in Arizona – and spent time at home in Germany and on the ski slopes of Italy, where he enjoyed learning a new sport.

“Life is not all about golf,” Kaymer said. “It was nice to find a hobby that is challenging for me.”

He won’t be giving up the day job, though.

Kaymer lost form after winning the Players Championship and the U.S. Open midway through last year, but was back to his best on what he calls his “home course” in making four birdies on the front nine and six coming in. Three birdies were from more than 18 feet.

With a second place and a sixth place to go with his three titles at the Abu Dhabi Golf Course, Kaymer is the man to beat this week – even with McIlroy around.

The only swings McIlroy made over the month either side of Christmas were practice ones in his kitchen at home. The break didn’t do him any harm, either.

His first shot of 2015 was a 315-yard drive down the middle of the par-5 10th fairway and he birdied the hole for the perfect start to his attempt to win this tournament for the first time, after three runner-up finishes since 2011.

McIlroy’s short game made up for some errant drives for the rest of his front nine but the spectacular shot on No. 3 proved to be a catalyst. With one foot in the face of a bunker and the other out of the hazard, he had to open the face of his wedge and dig out a shot that landed 12 feet away. It brought the biggest cheer of the day from a sparse crowd at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

“It’s not a shot I practice a lot,” said McIlroy, who holed from 15 feet on No. 4, 10 feet on Nos. 5 and 7 and eight feet on No. 8 for birdies that allowed him to chase down Fowler.

The American, who lost out to McIlroy in the British Open and U.S. PGA Championship last year, upstaged his rival by making six birdies in 11 holes starting at No. 15 – his sixth hole. However, Fowler sent his approach at the last through the green, misjudged a flop shot on the way back and missed a 10-foot par putt to slip back level with McIlroy.

Second-ranked Henrik Stenson had a double-bogey on his first hole and didn’t make any birdies in a 76. Justin Rose shot 73.

Rory McIlroy isn’t divulging what is on his list of seven goals for 2015 that he jotted down on the back of his boarding pass on a flight to Dubai last week.

Completing a career Grand Slam at the Masters in April? Surely that was No. 1. A court case against his former management company, scheduled for February, is also a defining early year date for the world’s top-ranked player.

Winning this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship may not have been on the list, but it would end years of frustration for McIlroy at what has become his traditional year-opening tournament.

McIlroy has finished second at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in three of the last four years. On two of those occasions, he was hit with rule penalties that ultimately cost him victory.

“One of the goals this week is just to have no penalty shots when I don’t need them,” he said. “And see where I end up at the end of the week.”

Losing out to Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal in a thrilling end to last year’s tournament was one of the few regrets for McIlroy in a stunning 2014.

He won the British Open and the PGA Championship to double his tally of major titles, returned to the top of the rankings, and was one of the stars of the European team that retained the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

McIlroy wants more.

“I didn’t achieve everything that I wanted to last year,” he said.

It has become something of a ritual for him to write down his objectives for the season on his boarding pass on his flight out for his first tournament of the year. He puts the list in his wallet and memorizes it.

“I’ll take that boarding pass out at the end of the year and see how well I’ve done,” McIlroy said.

“I feel 2014 has really set me up for another great year. I’m coming in with a nice little bit of momentum, and (my) game is feeling good.”

With McIlroy having had a month off, his rivals in Abu Dhabi will hope Boy Wonder is rusty.

It is another strong field, with No. 2 Henrik Stenson, U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, No. 6 Justin Rose and American star Rickie Fowler – making his debut in the desert – among the other entries.

McIlroy and Fowler are in the same group for the first two days, marking the first time they have played together since the singles at the Ryder Cup. McIlroy put on an awesome performance that Sunday, winning 5 and 4.

Kaymer is a three-time winner (2008, ’10 and ’11) in Abu Dhabi, and was one stroke off first place in 2009. The German is one of the few players to have a better record on the course than McIlroy, who was third in 2010 and tied for fifth in 2009 before his run of runner-up finishes.

“It’s a golf course I’ve always felt comfortable on, one that has suited me, and I have played well here,” McIlroy said. “This is my eighth year in a row starting the season off here, so I’m pretty familiar with the place, and looking forward to another strong start to the season.”

JOHANNESBURG – Andy Sullivan won his first European Tour title with a brilliant birdie on the first playoff hole as Charl Schwartzel let slip a five-shot overnight lead in a late collapse at the South African Open on Sunday.

Schwartzel (74) finished terribly, making two bogeys and a double-bogey in his last five holes to fall back to 11-under and allow Sullivan (67) a chance at victory in the playoff.

Both players missed the fairway off the tee in the playoff, but Sullivan sent a low pitch from under a tree onto the green, and then holed out for an unexpected birdie to win.

“It’s unbelievable,” Sullivan said. “After Saturday I didn’t think I stood much of a chance with Charl getting ahead that far.”

The Englishman made up seven shots on Schwartzel in the final round and was waiting in the clubhouse when the South African unraveled at the end to miss out on a first South African Open title after leading by four shots with five holes to play.

Schwartzel found a greenside bunker on No. 14, three-putted on No. 16 for double-bogey and fluffed a tee shot on 17 to drop another shot. He also found the rough off the tee on No. 18 and had to scramble for a par to send the tournament to a playoff.

Both drove into the long grass when they teed off at No. 18 again. But Sullivan recovered with a sublime low punch through the tree branches and to 12 feet, before rolling in the putt for his maiden tour title. He pumped his fist with delight after a missed birdie on the last in regulation play appeared to have ensured he would have no chance at victory.

Sullivan became just the second Englishman to win the South African Open – the second oldest tournament in professional golf – after Tommy Horton in 1970. His seven-shot comeback was the biggest in the final round since the event joined the European Tour in 1997.

Lee Slattery was third on 10 under. Ernie Els, who was in the mix after a first-round 67, finished with a 72 and in a tie for 20th.

JOHANNESBURG – Charl Schwartzel opened with four straight birdies to card a 6-under 66 on Saturday and surge five shots clear after the third round of the South African Open.

Schwartzel moved to 13-under 203 to put himself in position for a first victory at his home open at Glendower Golf Club.

The 2011 Masters winner started superbly, and although he also made two bogeys, he had eight birdies in all to open up a gap at the first European Tour event of 2015.

Schwartzel is aiming to bounce back from a winless 2014. England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick (67) and Scotland’s David Drysdale (68) were tied for second.

Five-time winner Ernie Els had a recovery of sorts after slipping out of contention with a 77 on Friday. He had a 69 to move up to a tie for 20th.

JOHANNESBURG – Andy Sullivan shot a 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead at the South African Open on Friday, while Ernie Els wiped out a promising start with a 77 in the second round to tumble out of contention at his home tournament.

Sullivan moved to 8 under 136 to sit a stroke ahead of Charl Schwartzel (69) at the Glendower Golf Club in Johannesburg. Denmark’s Lasse Jensen (71) and South African pair Colin Nel (70) and J.J. Senekal (67) are tied for third on 6 under.

Els, searching for his first tournament win since June 2013, had opened with a promising 67. But he undid that with three bogeys and consecutive triple-bogey 7s at Nos. 9 and 10 to fall from third overnight to a tie for 34th.