Englishman Tom Lewis opens up the inaugural Abu Dhabi Challenge on the Challenge Tour with on opening round 64 on the National Course to lead by one.
Nine birdies and a solitary bogey for the 33 year-old as he hunts down his second Challenge Tour win, with his first coming at the Bridgestone Challenge in 2018.
Lewis has won twice on the DP World Tour previously, first time in only his third professional start in 2011 in Portugal after a stunning final round 65, becoming the then joint-third quickest Affiliate Member to win on the DP World Tour. He then won the Portugal Masters for the second time in 2018.
“It’s obviously a great start,” he said. “I haven’t shot a score like that around this course. Conditions were perfect. There wasn’t too much breeze and it’s so warm here that the ball is going an extra club length. It was great to be out there.
“My putting was really nice. That’s usually something that’s been my Achilles heel but today I holed putts when it mattered. I holed some lengthy putts and I holed some good mid-range ones too. That’s probably the big difference from shooting eight under and being level par around here.”
Lewis has fond memories around the National Course, in 2019 he finished tied 9th in the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.
“I recently played here in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.” he said. “Knowing the rough is down, you can still get at pins when you’re a little out of position which makes it feel like the fairways are slightly bigger. I’ve never really hit many fairways around here, but to shoot that score, I’m delighted.
“It’s just one round, there’s three left to go. Tomorrow I’ll be telling myself I’m at level par. If I can get off to the start I did today and shoot in the 60s, that would be great.”
France’s Julien Sale is at seven under par in second place, alongside Dubai based Joshua Grenville-Wood after a bogey free 65.
Road to Mallorca leader Ugo Coussaud continued his form with a 5 under par 67.
