In the sun-drenched splendour of Yas Links, Tommy Fleetwood unleashed a golfing masterclass, charting a course record-equalling ten under par 62 to snatch the early lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
As the opener of the DP World Tour playoffs and the next-to-last chapter of the 2024 Race to Dubai, Fleetwood’s performance was nothing short of electric.
The Englishman, who seems to have a particular fondness for Abu Dhabi, having clinched the title in both 2017 and 2018, embarked on a birdie-eagle-birdie spree right out of the gates.
With a total of eight birdies and an eagle, he notched a bogey-free round and capped it off with a birdie on the final hole to take a one-shot lead over the field.
His scorecard—a painter’s palette of scores—left former Ryder Cup mate Thorbjørn Olesen and America’s Johannes Veerman, a stride behind at nine under.
Tommy Fleetwood: When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well. Just happy to have got off to a great start.
I didn’t feel like I swung it perfectly early on and I actually felt like I started playing better as the round got to the back nine. I felt like I swung it really nicely on the back nine. One poor iron shot trying to drill it on 17.
Putted amazing. Felt like 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.
The wind picked up a little bit, but overall it was fairly calm, and I think the course, fairways are playing fast. Greens are actually quite receptive and the greens are perfect.
You’ve got to this part of the year, and how many are in this field, 70? 70 best players on the DP World Tour, very good golf and we had nice conditions on a beautiful golf course. Just shows the standard of golf that’s out there.
At 33, Fleetwood, a seasoned victor with seven DP World Tour titles under his belt, isn’t just playing for the win; he’s eyeing the grander prize of the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
Sitting comfortably in fifth at the week’s start, a strong showing in Abu Dhabi could catapult him into contention for the top spot, challenging the reigning number one, Rory McIlroy, in next week’s showdown at the DP World Tour Championship.
Olesen, the Danish dynamo, is on the hunt for his second Rolex Series trophy, reminiscing his 2018 Italian Open victory.
He kickstarted his year with a triumph at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, adding another title to his collection earlier in the UAE.
Meanwhile, Veerman, fresh off his first victory at the 2021 D+D REAL Czech Masters, proved his mettle with a flurry of birdies and an eagle that aligned him with Olesen.
Not far behind, the competition simmers with Tyrrell Hatton, a four-time Rolex Series champion, perched alongside fellow Englishmen Laurie Canter and Paul Waring and Italy’s Francesco Laporta, all sitting pretty at eight under.
As for McIlroy, the Northern Irish golf maestro charted a respectable five under par 67 to secure 18th place, with aspirations to clinch his sixth Race to Dubai title. But it’s clear, as the desert sun casts long shadows over the greens of Yas Links, the chase is as heated as ever, with Fleetwood setting a blistering pace at the forefront.
