Past champions Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry rolled back the years with sparkling 64s to share the opening-round lead at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Ryder Cup teammates, paired together on Thursday at Yas Links, finished tied atop the leaderboard with New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, South Africa’s Richard Sterne, and France’s Adrien Saddier, all at eight under par.
Fleetwood produced a blemish-free round featuring eight birdies, while Lowry countered one dropped shot with nine birdies of his own as the fourth Rolex Series event of the season teed off in perfect Middle Eastern conditions.
Fleetwood Relishes Yas Links Challenge
Now a Dubai resident, Fleetwood was all smiles after a flawless day.
I'm enjoying it. There's a low score out there if you play well, but equally you still have to hit your shots and make smart choices. I love that about this course. It’s a good test, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’ll be a different challenge.
Lowry, meanwhile, enjoyed the company of his close friend as much as his scorecard.
I played with Tommy in India earlier this year and shot 64 as well. There’s something about being paired with him, we feed off each other. It’s always nice when you’re playing alongside a friend and a great player.
Saddier, Sterne and Kobori Join the Party
Saddier briefly held the outright lead after reaching nine under with nine birdies in 16 holes, before a bogey at the 17th pulled him back into the five-way tie.
Sterne, runner-up to Lowry at the 2019 edition, produced one of the shots of the day – a 75-foot eagle putt on the par-five 18th – his second eagle of the round. Kobori’s eight-under 64 came courtesy of six birdies and a brilliant eagle, without a single dropped shot.
It’s a long week with no cut, so getting off to a strong start is really important. A good first round gives you momentum heading into the weekend.
Big Names in Pursuit
Seven players sit just one shot behind the leaders after opening with 65s, including Alex Noren, Andy Sullivan, Nicolai Højgaard, Nicolai von Dellingshausen, Keita Nakajima, Michael Kim and Nacho Elvira.
Reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy began his Play-Off campaign with a four-under 68, matched by his Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Åberg – who thrilled spectators with a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.
Marco Penge, McIlroy’s closest rival in the season-long rankings, sits a stroke ahead at five under.
