Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood carded a course record-equalling ten under par 62 to take the first-round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs and penultimate event of the 2024 Race to Dubai.

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The Englishman, already a two-time winner of this tournament after claiming back-to-back victories in 2017 and 2018, carded eight birdies and an eagle on a low-scoring day at Yas Links to sit one stroke ahead of fellow Dubai resident Thorbjørn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman.

The Jumeirah Golf Estates resident, 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 on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. A strong performance in Abu Dhabi would give him an outside chance of catching current Rankings leader and reigning Number One Rory McIlroy at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

Denmark’s Olesen is seeking a second Rolex Series victory this week to follow on from his 2018 Italian Open success. The Dane won his eighth DP World Tour title earlier this year in the UAE, triumphing at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.

Veerman, who won his maiden title at the 2021 D+D REAL Czech Masters, earned his place in the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs after finishing T8, T14 and T14 in his last three starts. He carded eight birdies and an eagle as he joined Olesen on nine under par.

 

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LIV Golfer and four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth on eight under with fellow Englishmen Laurie Canter and Paul Waring and Italy’s Francesco Laporta.

McIlroy carded a five under par 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 after this event.

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