Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy solidified his place as a future great as he played a superb eight-under-par 64 to hold a one-stroke lead at the Dubai Desert Classic. However, play on the course was suspended due to bad weather conditions.

The 19-year-old sank nine birdies, which gave him a slim advantage over Sweden’s Robert Karlsson. This earned the respect of some of his elder peers. Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie mentioned that McIlroy was a potential candidate for Celtic Manor in 2010.

With regard to the playing conditions, McIlroy told the UK Press Association, “It was actually nice to be out late because I wanted to do a little work on my putting before I went out. I was able to do that and holed a few nice ones. The conditions were perfect, the greens were soft, the fairways were soft. It was ideal scoring.”

McIlroy is closely followed by Karlsson in the leader board. Karlsson played an impressive round of golf as well with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 performance.

“There wasn't anything spectacular, but I took most of my chances, although I also missed a couple. All in all, it was very solid,” mentioned Karlsson.

The Dubai Dessert Classic will resume play within the next days. Hopefully, better weather conditions are ahead for the tourney.