"It was great," Ford said. "I got a couple putts to fall that I didn't know were going to go in hit a lot of good iron shots. I love where the pins were set up today. I felt like a lot of them fit my eye.

Although Rory McIlroy may eventually share Jon Rahm's optimism about the state of professional golf, he currently does not believe the sport is in its "golden era" -- as the Spaniard suggested on Tuesday.

At the Dubai Desert Classic, Jon Rahm said “we’re living in a golden era right now for golf,” which Rory McIlroy didn’t quite agree with.