Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood made impressive starts to the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, finishing the first round tied for the lead after matching scores of eight under par 64.
The pair, who have both previously lifted the trophy, were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand, South Africa’s Richard Sterne and France’s Adrien Saddier, forming a competitive five-way tie.
Fleetwood delivered a composed performance without a single dropped shot, while Lowry’s round included nine birdies and just one bogey as this Rolex Series tournament got underway.
“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 echoed the positivity, saying: “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 led alone after reaching nine under through 16 holes, before a bogey on the 17th returned him to the group. Sterne produced the standout finish of the day, holing from 75 feet on the final green for eagle, while Kobori’s round was bogey-free and highlighted by an early eagle.
“It’s a long week because obviously no cut so you want to try and keep yourself in the tournament,” Sterne said. “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.”
Seven players ended the day one stroke adrift on seven under, among them Alex Noren, Andy Sullivan and Nicolai Højgaard. Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg both opened with rounds of 68, with Åberg producing a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.
Marco Penge, the closest challenger to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai, is a further shot ahead on five under.
Away from the competition, over 1,000 local school children visited the event to learn about golf and watch world-class professionals compete, as part of ongoing youth outreach efforts.
Meanwhile, The R&A convened a Golf in the Community Forum, bringing leading organisations together to explore participation pathways, women’s and girls’ involvement in the game, and the wider health benefits of golf across the region.
