Dyson’s stellar play left him in tied-12th place and only a shot off world number one Jordan Spieth and fellow Yorkshire sensation Matthew Fitzpatrick. Spieth, who uncharacteristically missed a couple of short putts, also had two bogeys in his round of 68.
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‘I understand the rule that if you are taking longer than the allotted time, you get a bad time. No too bad on your first start on the European Tour.
The European Tour has confirmed tournament officials will consult with local promoters to ensure players wearing shorts will not cause offence and if there are any objections then shorts will not be allowed on that given week.
An eighth gain of the day at the eighth temporarily moved Stenson two shots clear, before the Swede, who had feared he would struggle to walk all 18 holes after undergoing knee surgery last month, finished his opening-round 65 with a blemish at the last.
The fine, of course, would be loose change to Spieth but he will not want a reputation as a slow player – he was spoken to about the same at last year’s Open, for example – and this would mark an inauspicious debut on the regular European Tour. Leave your thoughts in the “Comments” section below.
‘It was an absolute masterclass, the Rory that we have seen winning majors, ‘ raved the sporting 22-year-old American. “Sometimes the refs have to use common sense. It’s just probably a bit of over-enthusiasm in the first round of the first event of the year”. “I didn’t feel like I was fighting it. I was able to kind of let it go”. It was a pretty unbelievable round on a very challenging course. So all I’ve dreamed of from a little kid is winning majors.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is a world-class event attracting some of the games’ greatest competitors to Abu Dhabi”.
“I just made sure it didn’t affect my round”, said Spieth.
McIlroy was just a shot behind after his seventh birdie of the day from 15 feet on the third, with Spieth bouncing back from his first bogey on the second by coming within inches of a hole-in-one on the fourth. “He was on his A-game and if he keeps striking it like that, I’m going to have to make up for it somewhere else”. “I felt in practice last week in Dubai that I was swinging it well and I came back mentally refreshed and really excited to get playing again”. I didn’t hit a lot of shots really close, I just hit it kind of OK. “I could not be happier”.
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DeChambeau is one of golf’s characters – calling himself the “Golf Scientist”, he has modified his irons to make them all the same length, he has two driver swings, he puts his balls in Epsom salts to establish which of them are slightly flawed, and wears a Ben Hogan-style flat cap.
