Australia's Jarrod Lyle upstaged former winners Thomas Bjorn and Colin Montgomerie to hold an early one-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic first round on Thursday.

The 23-year-old from Victoria, playing in his 10th tournament as a professional, fired a four-under-par 68 on a day of bright sunshine and light breezes at the Emirates Golf Club.

Late starters Ernie Els and pony-tailed Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, however, were poised to join Lyle at the top of the leaderboard.

World number three Els, bidding this week for an unprecedented third Dubai crown, was four under with five holes to play and level with Ryder Cup player Jimenez, after 14 holes.

Denmark's Bjorn, who held off Tiger Woods [Images] to win the 2001 title, carded a 69 to tie for third with South Africans James Kingston [Images] and Charl Schwarzel and Britain's Andrew Marshall.

Seven-times European number one Montgomerie, Dubai champion in 1996 and determined to book his place at next month's U.S. Masters with a high finish this week, was among a group bunched on 70.

"Seventy is okay. It's not a great start but it's a start all the same and it will be added to tomorrow with a 60-something," a confident Montgomerie told reporters.

"The greens seem pure but they are quite grainy, so it's more difficult out there than imagined," added the Scot, who needs to climb another 13 spots in the world rankings by the end of this month to book his place at Augusta.

GOOD START

Lyle qualified for the event only on a late sponsor's invitation, but made a good start with birdies at the second and seventh.

Although he bogeyed the par-four eighth, another birdie followed on nine as he reached the turn in two-under 33. The Australian then picked up further shots on 10 and 15 to head the early leaderboard.

Lyle was delighted to be in early contention after tying for third in this month's Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne, where he missed out on a chance of making the playoff with a bogey at the final hole.

For a man who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1999 but made a full recovery, his Heineken lesson should be an easy one to learn.

"I have always been a fighter," he said. "I've had a lot of good things happen and I suppose this (his opening 68) is one of them.

"I'm just living life at the moment, taking one day at a time and just enjoying everything."

While the unlikely Lyle thrived in the desert heat, defending champion Mark O'Meara of the United States could manage only a 73.

Ian Woosnam, Europe's new Ryder Cup captain after being appointed on his 47th birthday on Wednesday, also struggled. The Welshman returned a 74 to finish level with twice British Open champion Greg Norman.