A run of six birdies in seven holes kept Henrik Stenson's slim hopes of a hat-trick of victories alive in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Stenson slumped to an opening 77 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, his worst score in 21 rounds in the European Tour's season finale, to lie joint last on five over par and initially carried on where he left off on Friday.
A bogey on the first was followed by a double bogey at the third and another dropped shot on the fifth, meaning the world number six was nine over par for his last nine holes.
However, Stenson then birdied the seventh and eighth to reach the turn in 38 and started the back nine with four birdies in a row from the 10th to improve to three over par.
That was still nine shots off the lead shared by Ryder Cup team-mates Martin Kaymer and Ian Poulter, Australia's Marcus Fraser and England's Andy Sullivan, with Race to Dubai rivals Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett two off the lead after opening rounds of 68.
Stenson was not the only player making a raft of birdies, Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat recovering from a bogey on the first with six birdies in the next seven holes before a bogey on the ninth dropped him back to three under.
Source: PA
