Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are in a share of the lead after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
England’s Fleetwood and Irishman Lowry, who helped Europe beat the USA at Bethpage in September, both carded an eight-under 64 at Yas Links.
Adrien Saddier, Richard Sterne and Kazuma Kobori complete the five leaders after day one of the DP World Tour’s penultimate tournament of the year – with a field of 70 whittled down to 50 for next week’s DP World Tour Championship finale.
Sterne made a flying start as the South African was seven under after the front nine, before landing a 75-foot putt on the 18th to claim his second eagle of the day and take the clubhouse lead.
Two-time winner Fleetwood then finished with eight birdies in a spotless round while 2019 champion Lowry had nine birdies and a single bogey.
Rasmus Hojgaard also played with the Ryder Cup duo and Lowry said: “I was pretty excited when I saw the group, my pairing today. It was nice to go out there with the boys.
“I was paired with [Fleetwood] in India the first two days and I shot 64 as well, so yeah, something about me and Tommy. I just like playing with him, a friend and a really good player too. You kind of feed off each other.”
England’s Marco Penge has emerged as the closest challenger to leader Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai.
The 27-year-old played with McIlroy for the first time on Thursday and is among seven players who are three shots off the lead, with McIlroy a shot further back.
Penge, who has claimed three Tour wins since starting the year with a three-month ban for breaching betting rules, had three bogeys as he went round five under, while McIlroy parred his final seven holes to finish with one bogey in his round of 68.
