There’s something about Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Rowley that feels like a perfect fit playing together. After sharing a 36-hole tee time and playing beautifully against each other at the 2025 Indian Championship a few weeks ago, the Europeans were back in action on Thursday at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, sealing the deal with a 64 to share the lead in the first leg of the DP World Tour Playoffs.
Lowry and Fleetwood are not the only players to reach eight under par in the first round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, with two Ryder Cup teammates Richard Stern, Adrian Sadier and Kazuma Kobori also matching this number. Sweden’s Alex Noren and American Michael Kim are just one spot behind with Brits Tyrrell Hatton and Aaron Rye among the players on six under.
“My tee shot was very, very good. I think I made a good decision off the tee,” Fleetwood said. “I felt really comfortable with the shots I chose and hit them. I thought my putts were good too. I think I made a big par save on the 12th and then got the birdie. I think this was an important part of the round if it’s going to be a very, very good round. I’m very happy. Today is Thursday. Obviously I can get out of this situation with my play. I’m not going to win, but 8 under is a really great way to start.”
Fleetwood has had a busy start to Week 26 of the Race to Dubai. He got a kick-in birdie on the first hole, followed by a birdie on the second par-5 hole. But he made the most noise around the turns, as the FedEx Cup winner added five circles to his scorecard from No. 7 to No. 13.
Fleetwood praised his play off the tee, but don’t overlook his putter. Continuing the best season of his career on the greens, the 34-year-old made five putts from outside 8 feet, including a crucial par save on the par-4 12th, and birdied the next hole from 23 feet.
Fleetwood’s failure to birdie his opponent on the par-5 finish and Lowry’s final birdie of the day meant they were tied at 8 under. All four of Lowry’s birdies on the front nine came from within 3 feet, and his putter started to work together a little more on the back nine. His only blemish on the scorecard came from a three-putt on No. 12 from 70 feet.
“I was paired with him the first two days in India and he hit 64,” Lowry said. “Yeah, something about me and Tommy. But no, I just love playing with him. He’s your friend and a really good player as well. And you just kind of feed off each other. It was great.”
While Fleetwood and Lowry are at the top of the tournament leaderboard, the Race to Dubai position still belongs to Rory McIlroy. With a new TaylorMade Qi4D driver in his bag, the Grand Slam champion’s week got off to a shaky start as he was forced to play tentatively on his first tee shot. But once he found his first tee shot and saved par, McIlroy improved and settled for a 4-under 68.
“I felt like I was a good driver,” McIlroy said. “Obviously, I had a new driver in this week, and I felt like it worked for me. I hit some good iron shots. It got a little windy the last few holes, but I felt like I had good control of the ball in the wind. I just needed to make a few more putt holes. I think that was the difference between my shots today and being around the lead.”
On Thursday, Marco Penge shared a tee time with McIlroy and the Northern Irishman for the first time in his career, giving McIlroy’s closest rival a front row seat in the season-long race. After an eventful start with birdie, eagle, bogey, bogey and birdie, the British player held off McIlroy by one stroke.
Penge calmed down as the day progressed, eventually signing a 67 that could move him into the top 20 and move him closer to McIlroy by next week’s DP World Tour Championship. The three-time DP World Tour winner this season is tied with fellow countryman Matt Fitzpatrick on the leaderboard with a total of five under.
“It was amazing,” Penge said. “I mean, obviously I’ll keep to myself how I feel about my game compared to playing against him today, but it was good. It was good. Rory might not have been firing on all cylinders, but yeah, it was cool to play with someone like a Grand Slam winner and a legend in European golf.”
