Patrick Reed makes impressive start after floods cause delay in Dubai; Rory McIlroy on two under after 15 holes

Players were informed in the early hours of Thursday morning that Emirates Golf Club was "inaccessible" and told not to travel to the course due to several roads being flooded following heavy rain.

Following a few hours of dry weather and a massive clean-up operation by ground staff, play got under way at 1.15pm local time, although half the field were unable to get on the course at all and will start round one today.

Reed completed 16 holes in four under par to lie a shot off the lead held by Belgium's Thomas Pieters, who had three holes remaining.

World number one McIlroy was on two under after 15 holes. The English trio of Matthew Jordan, Daniel Gavins and Oliver Wilson had set the clubhouse target following rounds of 68 completed shortly before play was suspended due to darkness.

Tommy Fleetwood was also four under and facing a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-three seventh - his 16th hole - when play resumes, with playing partner McIlroy having a putt from four feet to improve to three under.

The pre-tournament build-up had been dominated by the war of words between Reed and McIlroy, which emerged after Reed threw a tee towards McIlroy after being snubbed by the world number one on the practice range. McIlroy said he had not seen the tee but had not been impressed at being subpoenaed on Christmas Eve by the lawyer who is representing Reed in a defamation lawsuit against several media members and organisations.