Adam Hadwin had the best round on the Stadium Course with a 66.
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In what is surely a precursor for the 2016 season, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are facing off this week for the first time this year at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
In fifth place is Richard Bland and Andy Sullivan who both fired a 67 followed by Thomas Bjørn, David Howell, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Niclas Fasth alongside Spieth on 68. After a shocking comeback victory at the BMW PGA Championship, he was able to carry his spectacular form into the summer and win the year’s last two majors, the third and fourth of his career. “It’s the way I’ve been feeling out on the golf course”.
“It’s the Rory I’ve seen win majors”, Spieth told Golf Channel.
Former world number one Rory McIlroy was one who welcomed the change, in one of the world’s more socially conservative regions.
He refers to himself as a pro golf “intern”, and has taken the opportunity to play with Jordan Spieth, “Just for the chance to watch how he prepares”.
“I don t know if it s about making a statement, but I just want to play well. I got a monitoring “bad” time on my putt on the eighth [17th] when they took us off the clock on that green and the guys behind us hadn’t even reached the fairway”, Spieth said.
Encouraged to implement the new monitoring policy by the players themselves, the European Tour should be applauded for wading into the war against slow play, but this, I’m afraid, wasn’t a good example of how it can be implemented successfully.
“The players have embraced it”, said the tour’s chief executive, Keith Pelley, said before the opening tournament of the “Desert Swing” through Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar.
“It was a bit odd”, said Spieth about his warning after calling McIlroy s round a “masterclass”.
There were no such problems for another 22-year-old American.
American amateur Bryson Dechambeau leads after a brilliant 64 with world No. 5, Swede Henrik Stenson, a stroke back.
Fitzpatrick produced an unblemished card and after turning in one under, thanks to a birdie at eight, the British Masters champion added three more birdies at holes 10, 14 and 15.
“I feel great. I came home from Hawaii, took a couple days off, went and saw my instructor, and I actually feel better about the way I’m striking my irons coming into this week than I did going into Hawaii”, said Spieth, who is playing in Singapore next week.
“Not too bad on one leg”, quipped Stenson, a runner-up in 2006. McIlroy, who is beginning his season in Abu Dhabi for seventh straight season, has finished second at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in four of the last five years.
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When all is said and done, a golfer’s greatness is measured at the majors, so major victories will play a big part in the rivalry between Spieth and McIlroy. “This time it was closer to the latter”.
