Lowry and Fleetwood among five-way tie at the top at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Dubai: Past champions Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry were part of a five-way tie after the first round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after opening with stunning 64s.

The Ryder Cup stars, who played alongside each other on Thursday, shared the lead with New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, South African Richard Sterne and Frenchman Adrien Saddier on eight under par.

Reigning FedExCup champion Fleetwood carded eight birdies and no bogeys, while Lowry fired nine birdies and dropped a single shot as the fourth Rolex Series event of the season got under way.

“I’m enjoying it,” said Dubai resident Fleetwood.

“I think it’s a very good test. There’s a low score out there if you play well, but equally you still have to hit the ball and you still have to do the right things. Love that about the course. Just look forward to tomorrow. Different test tomorrow. See what we can do.”

Lowry added: “I was paired with him (Tommy) in India the first two days and I shot 64, as well. So yeah, something about me and Tommy. But no, I just like playing with him, your friend, and really good player, too, and you kind of feed off each other. It was nice.”

Saddier briefly got to nine under in the afternoon after reeling off nine birdies over his first 16 holes but a bogey on the 17th saw him slip back into a share of the lead.

Sterne, who finished second behind winner Lowry at the 2019 edition of this event, made two eagles in his opening round and saved his best until last as he holed from 75 feet for a three on the par-five 18th. Kobori, meanwhile, made an eagle and six birdies in a flawless first-round effort.

“It’s a long week because obviously no cut so you want to try and keep yourself in the tournament,” said Sterne. “Obviously having a good first round is imperative, I think, to keeping you going and giving you some momentum heading into the next three rounds.”

There were seven players one shot further back, with Alex Noren, Andy Sullivan, Nicolai von Dellingshausen, Nicolai Højgaard, Keita Nakajima, Michael Kim and Nacho Elvira all producing 65s.

Reigning Race to Dubai champion and current Rankings leader Rory McIlroy started the DP World Tour Play-Offs with a four under par 68, as did his Ryder Cup team mate, Ludvig Aberg, with the highlight of the Swede’s round his hole-in-one on the par-three eighth.

Marco Penge, McIlroy’s closest challenger in the season-long race is one shot better off, amongst the group on five under par.

Off course, over 1,000 school children were introduced to the game through the tournament’s schools program. A total of ten schools from the emirate will visit over the course of today and tomorrow, watching the world’s best players in action while enjoying a tour of Yas Links and sampling all the family-friendly activities in the Championship Village. The tournament visits follow school assemblies conducted by the tournament team over the last month, where children learned more about the sport and had the opportunity to play golf during school hours.

Meanwhile, The R&A hosted a Golf in the Community Forum, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss golf’s positive impact in the region. The forum featured three dedicated sessions focusing on community engagement through initiatives like the Future Falcons program, opportunities for women and girls’ participation in golf, and the health benefits of golf and physical activity.

Led by The R&A’s Jackie Davidson and moderated by DP World Tour’s Tom Phillips and Dr Andrew Murray, the forum included representatives from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, HSBC, Emirates Golf Federation and Dubai Golf, highlighting the sport’s commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and wellbeing across the Middle East.