Rory McIlroy got off to a solid start in his bid for a sixth Race to Dubai title in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but he is five shots off the early pace of his European Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood.
McIlroy, 35, is on the cusp of a sixth Harry Vardon trophy with a 1,500-point lead at the top of the DP World Tour Rankings.
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There are only two events left on the schedule, this week in Abu Dhabi and next week in Dubai.
A strong finish for McIlroy this week will likely wrap it all up before the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
McIlroy opened with a solid 5-under 67 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.
It was his first round back after a month out of action.
McIlroy admitted earlier this week that he was working on a new swing to iron out some of his inconsistencies during the season.
He also showed off an interesting new water bottle exercise earlier this week.
McIlroy admitted he hit balls into a blank screen during his last break.
“Yeah, it felt good,” McIlroy said after opening with a 67.
“I felt somewhat comfortable with this little rehearsal before I took the club back. Yes, it felt good.
“Yeah, I probably wasn’t that imaginative out there, or I was hitting pretty straight shots and I hit a few where I didn’t really see the picture of what I was trying to do with the ball flight because I was thinking too much about what I was doing with the swing did.
“Overall I’m lucky that it’s a nice week to come back because there’s not too much wind. It’s quite wide off the tee. So I feel like I can concentrate a little bit more on what I’m trying to do with the motion. Yeah, overall it felt pretty good today.”
Speaking about being on the verge of securing a sixth Race to Dubai title, a feat that would match that of the late great Seve Ballesteros, the world number 3 said: “I know that if I I’m having a very good week, this will make my work a lot easier next week.
“Honestly, it’s fun working with Thriston (Lawrence) and Rasmus (Hojgaard) because you can kind of keep an eye on what they’re doing.
But yeah, it’s been a very good year, very consistent. It started well with the victory in Dubai and I also let a few slip. But I’ve had a lot of consistency, and that’s the reason I find myself where I am today. And I wanted to come to the Middle East for these two weeks and finish the season the way I felt it deserved to be finished.”
Lawrence matched McIlroy’s score of 67, while Hojgaard went one step further with a 66.
But the man they all need to catch so far this week at Yas Links is England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who climbed to the top of the board with a thrilling 10-under 62 to equal the course record.
Fleetwood, 33, won his only title of the season at the Dubai Invitational in January.
He is seeking the third victory of his career in Abu Dhabi after winning the tournament in 2017 and 2018, albeit on a different course in the Abu Dhabi rankings.
Fleetwood is now expected to rise to second place behind McIlroy in the DP World Tour Rankings.
Here’s a look at the projected rankings as they stand now.
Elsewhere, LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton continued his impressive recent form with an excellent 8-under 64.
Hatton is two behind Fleetwood.
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