Tommy Fleetwood, fresh from his victory at the DP World India Championship, has made an impressive start at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He shares the lead with four others after carding a remarkable
64 in the opening round. This event is the second last on the DP World Tour calendar.
Fleetwood's co-leaders include Shane Lowry, who also competed in India recently, New Zealand's Kazuma Kobori, South Africa's Richard Sterne, and France's Adrien Saddier. All five players are tied at eight under par.
Rory McIlroy, the reigning Race to Dubai champion and current Rankings leader, began his campaign with a solid four under par 68. McIlroy was joined by Ludvig Åberg, another Ryder Cup teammate, who also shot a 68. Åberg's highlight was a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth hole.
Marco Penge, who is closely trailing McIlroy in the season-long race, finished one stroke ahead with a score of five under par. Meanwhile, Fleetwood managed to avoid any bogeys while making eight birdies throughout his round.
Lowry had an impressive round as well, recording nine birdies but dropping one shot. Saddier briefly led at nine under after making nine birdies over 16 holes but slipped back due to a bogey on the 17th.
Sterne showcased his skills with two eagles during his round. He ended his day spectacularly by sinking a 75-foot putt for an eagle on the par-five 18th hole.
Other Contenders in Close Pursuit
A group of seven players finished just one shot behind the leaders with scores of 65. This group includes Alex Noren, Andy Sullivan, Nicolai von Dellingshausen, Nicolai Højgaard, Keita Nakajima, Michael Kim, and Nacho Elvira.
Ludvig Åberg's ace on the eighth was particularly memorable as he landed his tee-shot close to the pin before watching it roll into the cup.
Fleetwood and Lowry's Strong Start
Fleetwood began his round at Yas Links with birdies on both the first and second holes. He continued to gain momentum with additional birdies on the seventh and eighth holes. A long putt on the tenth and a simple tap-in on the 11th added to his tally.
Lowry also had a strong front nine with four birdies. He added five more birdies on the back nine but had a minor setback with a bogey at the 12th hole.
Saddier and Sterne's Memorable Moments
Saddier started his scoring spree with a birdie on the second hole followed by three consecutive birdies starting from the sixth. He then made four straight birdies from the 11th hole onwards before dropping a shot at the end.
Sterne turned in an impressive front nine score of 29 thanks to an eagle and five birdies. Despite some ups and downs on his back nine, he concluded strongly with an exceptional eagle putt.
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-176241507692262329.webp)
