ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – After the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday, Aaron Rai holed out in an albatross from 214 yards to score an eight-under 64 and move into a tie for the lead with fellow Briton Tommy Fleetwood.
Rye’s second shot on the par-5 second hole hit the green several yards before rolling into the cup at Yas Links Golf Club.
“I couldn’t see it from the back of the fairway, so it was a nice surprise,” said Lai, who started the round two shots behind the leader and bogey-free in the penultimate event of the 2025 European Tour season.
Fleetwood, the 2017 and 2018 champion, scored an opening round 64 to become one of five players to share the lead, and the FedEx Cup winner added a 66, helped by birdies on the first three holes, to move to 14 under for the week, tied with Rye.
“We’ve had a lot of good rounds,” Fleetwood said of his strong finish to the season, which included being points scorer in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in September and winning the Indian championship last month. “But I’m not stupid. I’ve been bitten many times.”
Andy Sullivan (67), Nikolai Hujgaard (67) and Richard Stern (68) are close to two strokes behind, while Shane Lowry is one of four players with a one-stroke lead after a 69.
Rory McIlroy, who ranks second in the rankings, shot his second straight 68 and is now 8 under, six shots behind Rye and Fleetwood.
McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai standings and is seeking his seventh win in the European Tour’s season-long points race, which would put him one step closer to equaling Colin Montgomerie’s record.
Marco Penge, 68, is McIlroy’s closest rival in the Race to Dubai, having played in the same group for the first two days, and leads the Northern Irishman by one stroke.
