Q. A 67 to start your account here at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Exactly how you would have liked to?
EWEN FERGUSON: Definitely. Birdied the first three holes and thought, didn't expect that to be honest. Played yesterday in the Pro-Am and thought the course was really tough. Then birdie the first three holes, and actually sometimes from there, you can make like a bogey or a double quite easily there.
And I know that it's quite easy to think, straight off the tee. It went through my head, 3-under through three, don't try to take on all the pins. Hit in the middle of the green. The pins are right next to the edges. I think they are making it a bit tougher this year.
Q. You're a Dubai resident and comfortable on the courses here. Rory echoed how tough the pin positions were, as well, today, but not a single birdie on your card.
EWEN FERGUSON: I looked through the pin sheets last night and I seen how close to the edge they were. My game is kind of fairways and greens, anyway. I thought it might help me; the fact that they are not as the same pin positions as years gone by when a few guys have played ten times and know what to do. Thought, just kind of stuck to my own game plan.
Q. As this tournament continues, every year, seems like the course evolves a little bit more, it's a little bit tougher. Rough is up, certainly. How is it playing compared to last year?
EWEN FERGUSON: I feel like it's quite similar in terms of the rough is still really thick. You miss the fairway, that's one of the reasons I like the course so much is you need to drive it well. That's usually my strength.
The pin positions are just really, really difficult. I had a couple of chip shots from ten feet and thought, I'd just chip it; it's that close. But you're sitting there, how do I play this. So close to the hole but deep in the thick rough. It was difficult.
I only had maybe a couple of them today. Another day where you don't hit it as well and you have six and seven, it kind of starts to stretch you a little bit, and you hit a bad tee shot and one thing leads to another.
I felt fresh. Five weeks off, first event. Felt quite good mentally. Five-minute drive back to my home, so it's nice.
Q. As you say, first tournament for you of the year. What's your forecast and plans? Obviously last year, the BMW International was the highlight.
EWEN FERGUSON: Plans are I'm playing the next four in a row, the Middle East, I quite like that spell. Everything feels close by. The Middle East, it's so good and always fun to play here. That's my plan for quite now. It can change quickly with a big result somewhere or a bad result somewhere. I've got the first four weeks to try to get myself going and start off decent.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports