Joachim B Hansen tops leaderboard at seven underFleetwood and Sergio García among six players on five underSurprise that Tommy Fleetwood has slipped to 43rd in the world – and the fifth-ranked Englishman – owes everything to appreciation of his talent. Before the pandemic, Fleetwood was inside the top 10 and looked a certainty to claim at least one major championship. Instead there has been a winless run that now stretches back to late 2019.
![Fleetwood’s opening 67 at Dubai Desert Classic hints at return to top form](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/49a8e79f6d7667507a7f9ad9cefb4ccd6e3268d0/0_320_4803_2882/master/4803.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=d4b0cfd8d006ff2240acffee311c1d59)
An opening round of 67 at the Dubai Desert Classic suggested Fleetwood is of a mind to return to earlier prominence. There has not quite been cause to ponder where it all went wrong, but day one at the Emirates Club supplied a reminder of what an impressive sight Fleetwood in full flow can be. He dropped just one shot, at the 13th, but easily offset it with six birdies.