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Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry share the lead after opening-round 64s at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, joining Richard Sterne, Adrien Saddier, and Kazuma Kobori in a five-way tie at eight-under-par.
The leaders hold a one-shot advantage over a chasing pack at seven-under, while Rory McIlroy sits four shots back after an opening 68. McIlroy shares that position with Ludvig Åberg, who thrilled the crowd with a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.
McIlroy trails by four as Penge stays close
McIlroy, the current Race to Dubai leader, made two birdies early on the back nine but couldn’t capitalize late in his round, closing with seven straight pars. His nearest challenger, Marco Penge, impressed again with an eagle and six birdies to finish on five-under 67.
Åberg’s ace marked his second career hole-in-one, following one at the 2025 Genesis Invitational, and lifted him to four-under heading into Friday’s second round.
Fleetwood’s flawless start
Fleetwood continued his superb season with a bogey-free round that included eight birdies. The two-time Abu Dhabi champion credited strong driving and putting for his early momentum.
“I played well and made some good decisions off the tee,” Fleetwood said. “A big par save on the 12th and a birdie right after really helped. You can’t win it on Thursday, but eight-under is a great start.”
Lowry feeds off friendly pairing
Lowry, who played alongside Fleetwood and Rasmus Højgaard, also carded nine birdies and one bogey. He said he enjoyed the atmosphere and rhythm of the pairing.
“It was nice to go out there with the boys,” Lowry said. “I was paired with Tommy in India earlier this year and shot 64 then too. We seem to bring out the best in each other.”
McIlroy ready to push lower
Despite a solid score, McIlroy admitted frustration at missed chances.
“I felt like I gave myself a lot of opportunities on the back nine and didn’t really convert,” he said. “Not birdieing the last was disappointing, but hopefully that’s the bad round out of the way.”
The Masters champion will tee off early Friday at 7:50 a.m. as he looks to close the gap on the leaders and strengthen his bid for a seventh Race to Dubai title.
