Tommy Fleetwood tied the course file at Yas Hyperlinks at 10-under-par 62 and the Englishman leads the Abu Dhabi Championship by one after the primary spherical on Thursday within the first occasion of the European tour playoffs.
Johannes Veerman and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen are a shot again and share second place, one stroke clear of 4 gamers tied for third: Francesco Laporta of Italy and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Waring and Laurie Canter, who shot 64.
Fleetwood mentioned he used a break in his schedule to get acquainted with a brand new putter. It paid quick dividends with 26 putts within the first spherical, fewest within the area. He broke right into a solo lead on the ultimate gap Thursday, carding eight birdies and an eagle.
“Putted superb,” he mentioned. “Felt like I learn the greens so nicely. Lovely tempo management and hit plenty of good putts and began holing them.”
The highest-ranked participant within the area is tied for 18th. Northern Eire’s Rory McIlroy, 5 beneath after his opening 18, wants a top-two end to win one other Race to Dubai championship. He had six birdies and bogeyed the par-3 seventeenth within the preliminary showcase of his refined swing. He is two pictures behind Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and one again of England’s Matthew Jordan and Alex Fitzpatrick.
McIlroy mentioned he discovered himself desirous about his swing an excessive amount of however mentioned he felt “OK” within the first spherical.
“It felt nice,” McIlroy mentioned. “I in all probability wasn’t as imaginative on the market or I used to be kind of hitting very straight pictures and I hit a pair the place I did not actually see the image of what I used to be making an attempt to do with the ball flight as a result of I used to be pondering an excessive amount of on what I used to be doing with the swing.”
Barring a clinching end this weekend, McIlroy has one other likelihood to safe a sixth Race to Dubai title on the World Tour Championship in Dubai subsequent week.
–Discipline Degree Media
