Rory McIlroy described his new swing as “unimaginative” after trying it out for the first time competitively in shooting 5-under 67 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship

Rory McIlroy has returned from a month away from competitive action and shot a 5-under 67 with a new swing in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship

Rory McIlroy returned from a month away from competitive action and shot a 5-under 67 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship to sit four shots off the clubhouse lead held by Thorbjorn Olesen and Johannes Veerman after the early wave.

Rory McIlroy said he has been hunkered down in a studio -- first in Florida, then in New York -- for three weeks, just hitting balls at a screen with a modified swing and not even looking at the flight of his shots.