Overview
- Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry opened with eight-under 64s to sit atop a five-way lead with Adrien Saddier, Kazuma Kobori and Richard Sterne at Yas Links.
- Fleetwood posted eight birdies without a bogey, while Lowry made nine birdies against a single bogey as both noted they tend to feed off each other when paired.
- Seven players are one stroke back at seven under, a group that includes Alex Noren, Michael Kim, Keita Nakajima, Nicolai Hojgaard, Andy Sullivan, Nacho Elvira and Nicolai von Dellingshausen.
- Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy began with a four-under 68, with nearest standings rival Marco Penge carding a 67 to sit one ahead of him.
- Ludvig Åberg recorded a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth and finished at four under, and the 70-man field will be reduced to 50 for next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.