Tommy Fleetwood carded a course record-equalling 62 to take the primary spherical lead on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the primary occasion of the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
Already a two-time winner of this event after claiming back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018, Fleetwood carded eight birdies and an eagle for his 10-under-par complete on a low-scoring day at Yas Hyperlinks to sit down one stroke forward of former Ryder Cup teammate Thorbjørn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman.
The 33-year-old from Southport was 4 beneath after simply three holes as he began birdie, eagle, birdie, and he made six additional features as he signed for his bogey-free spherical, rolling in a remaining birdie on the final to take the outright lead.
Fleetwood additionally has one eye on a second Race to Dubai title as he began the week in fifth place within the season-long rating. A powerful efficiency in Abu Dhabi would give him an outdoor likelihood of catching present chief Rory McIlroy at subsequent week’s DP World Tour Championship.
Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth on eight beneath with Laurie Canter, Paul Waring and Francesco Laporta.
MCILROY IN THE HUNT
McIlroy carded a five-under 67 to sit down in a share of 18th place. The Northern Irishman would win the Race to Dubai for a sixth time if he have been to complete greater than 2,000 rankings factors forward of his nearest challenger, South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, after this occasion. Lawrence additionally shot a 67 to maintain the stress on his rival.
Talking after his sturdy begin, Fleetwood stated: “If you shoot a 62 the whole lot is clearly going to have gone very properly, so I’m simply comfortable to have gotten off to an ideal begin.
“I didn’t really feel like I swung it completely early on, however I learn the greens so properly. Stunning tempo management and hit plenty of good putts and began holing them. I labored even during to the final gap, I simply hit good putts.”
He added: “The situations on the market are clearly superb for scoring, however the usual of golf on the market as we speak was unimaginable.”
For all the primary spherical scores, click on right here.
