The two time Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner is looking good early on in the season's first World Golf Championships event.
The Northern Irishman fired an eight under par 63 to take a one shot lead over Dustin Johnson.
Meanwhile Justin Thomas and Matt Kuchar are two strokes back on seven under par.
Meanwhile 14-time major winner Tiger Woods is on level par, eight shots off the pace.
Former doubles world number one Jamie Murray retires
Former doubles world number one Jamie Murray has called time on his tennis career on Wednesday, hanging up his racket at 40 after a trophy-laden journey that included seven Grand Slam titles and a Davis Cup triumph with his brother Andy.
Green still off-colour for winless Kolkata
Kolkata Knight Riders are confident that marquee signing Cameron Green will eventually come good but the Indian Premier League's only winless team need the Australia all-rounder to show why they made him the league's most expensive overseas recruit.
Dembele double at Liverpool fires PSG into Champions League semis
Ousmane Dembele struck twice to confirm Paris St Germain's place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, sealing a 4-0 aggregate win in their quarter-final tie at a rain-soaked Anfield.
Ex-England international Shelvey named Arabian Falcons FC manager
Former England midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has retired from playing and will take over as manager of third-tier United Arab Emirates side Arabian Falcons FC.
Muzarabani given two-year PSL ban after IPL switch
Blessing Muzarabani has been banned from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for two years after the Zimbabwe fast bowler joined Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders, despite having agreed to play for PSL team Islamabad United.
The UAE and Jordan have signed an agreement to launch a 360km railway project linking Aqaba Port to main mining areas in Al Shidiya and Ghor Al Safi at a value of $2.3 billion.
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, has held a phone discussion with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's Speaker of the Parliament.
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) have announced that administrative and teaching staff in private schools and nurseries across the emirate will resume work on Wednesday, April 15.
