- Fleetwood made eight birdies and an eagle in round one of the competition
- He leads Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and American Johannes Veerman in Abu Dhabi
- Rory McIlroy is tied for 18th in standings after five-under par opening round of 67
Tommy Fleetwood posted a stunning 10-under-par 62 to tie the course record and take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links.
The Englishman, who changed his putter this week, made eight birdies and an eagle to lead Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and American Johannes Veerman.
‘When you shoot a 62 obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well,’ said Fleetwood. ‘I putted amazing.’
Rory McIlroy, who spent the last three weeks hitting balls on a golf simulator to make changes to his swing, is tied for 18th after a five-under par opening round of 67.
Tommy Fleetwood (left) tied the course record at the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links
He has a one-shot lead after the first round, with Rory McIlroy (pictured) down in 18th
McIlroy needs a top-two finish to win his sixth Race to Dubai title ahead of the DP World Tour Championship next week.
‘It’s been a really good year, very, very consistent,’ he said.
