Tommy Fleetwood carded a course record-equalling 62 to take the first round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
Already a two-time winner of this tournament after claiming back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018, Fleetwood carded eight birdies and an eagle for his 10-under-par total on a low-scoring day at Yas Links to sit one stroke ahead of former Ryder Cup teammate Thorbjørn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman.
The 33-year-old from Southport was four under after just three holes as he started birdie, eagle, birdie, and he made six further gains as he signed for his bogey-free round, rolling in a final birdie at the last to take the outright lead.
Fleetwood also has one eye on a second Race to Dubai title as he started the week in fifth place in the season-long ranking. A strong performance in Abu Dhabi would give him an outside chance of catching current leader Rory McIlroy at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth on eight under with Laurie Canter, Paul Waring and Francesco Laporta.
MCILROY IN THE HUNT
McIlroy carded a five-under 67 to sit in a share of 18th place. The Northern Irishman would win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time if he were to finish more than 2,000 rankings points ahead of his nearest challenger, South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, after this event. Lawrence also shot a 67 to keep the pressure on his rival.
Speaking after his strong start, Fleetwood said: “When you shoot a 62 everything is obviously going to have gone very well, so I’m just happy to have got off to a great start.
“I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on, but I read the greens so well. Beautiful pace control and hit a lot of good putts and started holing them. I worked even all the way through to the last hole, I just hit perfect putts.”
He added: “The conditions out there are obviously very good for scoring, but the standard of golf out there today was incredible.”
For all the first round scores, click here.