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Rory McIlroy approaches sixth Race to Dubai as Tommy Fleetwood leads in Abu Dhabi

Sakege November 7, 2024

Rory McIlroy has made a solid start in his bid for a sixth Race to Dubai title at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, but is five shots off the early pace set by his European Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood.

McIlroy, 35, is on the verge of sealing a sixth Harry Vardon Trophy with a 1,500-point lead at the top of the DP World Tour Rankings.

There are only two events left on the calendar, this week in Abu Dhabi and then next week in Dubai.

A strong finish for McIlroy this week will likely wrap things up ahead of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

McIlroy opened with a solid 5-under 67 in the first round of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links.

It was his first round back after a month out of action.

McIlroy earlier in the week admitted to working on a new swing to try to fix some of his inconsistencies throughout the season.

It also showed off an interesting new water bottle drill earlier this week.

McIlroy admitted he hit balls into a blank screen during his final break.

“Yeah, it felt good,” McIlroy said after opening with a 67.

“I felt comfortable doing this little test before getting the club back. Yes, it felt good.

“Yeah, I probably wasn’t that imaginative or I was making very direct shots and I hit a couple where I didn’t really see the picture of what I was trying to do with the flight of the ball because I was thinking too much about what I was doing with the ball. swing.

“Overall, I’m very fortunate that it’s a good week to come back because it’s not too windy. It’s pretty wide off the tee. So I feel like I can focus a little more on what I’m trying to do with “Yes, overall “I felt pretty good today.”

As for being on the verge of claiming a sixth Race to Dubai title, a feat that would equal that of the late great Seve Ballesteros, the world No.3 said: “I know that if I have a really good week this week, that means My job will be much easier next week.

“Honestly, it’s nice to be paired with Thriston (Lawrence) and Rasmus (Hojgaard) because you can also keep an eye on what they’re doing.

“But yeah, it’s been a really good year, very, very consistent. I started well with the win in Dubai and I also let a couple of things slip. But I’ve had a lot of consistency, and that’s the reason.” “I’m in the place I’m at and I wanted to come here to the Middle East these two weeks and finish the season like I felt it deserves to be finished.”

Lawrence matched McIlroy’s score of 67, while Hojgaard improved with a 66.

But the man everyone has to catch at Yas Links so far this week is England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who jumped to the top of the board with an impressive 10-under 62, which tied the course record.

Sakege

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