Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2016: Bryson DeChambeau announces his arrival in style

The American amateur eclipsed Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth on day one in the UAE

The American amateur Bryson DeChambeau eclipsed Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth (Getty)

This was all about making a statement, coming out piping hot to show the world just who is golf’s alpha male. And so it was that the American amateur with the exotic moniker, Bryson DeChambeau, duffed up the biggest names in the game to sit atop the leaderboard on day one of the Abu Dhabi HSBC championship.

Well he does wear a retro hat in the manner of Ben Hogan, and, idiosyncratically, plays with irons boasting shafts of equal length, relying on differing club-head lofts to determine distance.

With these sticks, DeChambeau shot a 64 to eclipse the Rory McIlroy/Jordan Spieth extravaganza, which was saying something as the former opened with a 66 in his first round of 2016 and the latter with a 68.

“I had no expectations coming into today and just free-wheeled it and pretty much hit every fairway and was able to make a couple of putts,” DeChambeau said.

That’s one way of putting it. DeChambeau comes to the Arabian Peninsula as the US amateur champion and plans to enter the paid ranks after the Masters. With his hat and clubs, he already cuts a remarkable figure.

Substantiating the proposition in the manner of McIlroy and Spieth is the challenge. This was a start.

McIlroy could barely have been happier with a round described by playing partner Spieth as a masterclass of ball-striking. “It was the Rory that I have seen win major championships,” Spieth said.

“It was very impressive and minus one or two short putts, which is mainly just rust, it felt like he was on his A-game.”

That is pretty much how McIlroy saw it. “It’s a great way to start the year,” he said. “I felt in practice last week in Dubai that I was swinging well and I really came back mentally refreshed and really excited to play again. I think that showed today.

“I was excited to get going, especially playing in a group like that, first round of the year. So couldn’t be happier.

“I drove the ball well and I’ll need to keep doing that over the next three days to have a chance. I don’t know if it’s about making a statement, but I just want to play well. I want to compete each and every week. There’s still a long way to go, but I want to win every tournament I play.”

Spieth acknowledged his difficulties were off the tee. “I didn’t drive well, which is really the key out here. So to shoot four under with the way I felt with my driver is spectacular. Yes, I’m very pleased.”

The third member of the headline group, Rickie Fowler, carded a rather more prosaic 70 to finish two under par.

Henrik Stenson was the top European, closing one off the lead with a 65 just six weeks after knee surgery. Three-time winner Martin Kaymer opened with a 69 to finish three under par.