Rickie Fowler of the United States watches the ball after the tee off at the 15th hole during the round one of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.
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DeChambeau shot an 8-under 64 at the Abu Dhabi Championship to take a one-stroke lead in the first round in what might be the strongest field in a European Tour event this year.
“I didn’t drive the ball well, which is really the key out here, so to shoot four-under with the way I felt with my driver is spectacular”, he said.
“I don’t think it should be too big a deal”.
ABU DHABI – Former world No 1 Rory McIlroy said he was excited to start his new season in the company of the reigning world No1 Jordan Spieth.
Asked if there was anything different in his thought process now that he is already a major champion, Spieth said: “I think there’s two ways of going forward with that”.
The pack is still wide open with many in contention, with the likes of tournament back-to-back victor Martin Kaymer in tied 12th, along with the likes of Belgian Thomas Pieters and South Korea’s Byeong Hun An.
McIlroy made two bogeys but compensated with eight birdies.
The world number five, who holds the course record of 62 in Abu Dhabi, closed with a bogey after failing to make an up-and-down from the bunker on the ninth hole, but that was his only blemish. “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”.
The York-born ace recorded his best round of the year, a three-under-par 69 as he established a place just outside the top ten in the money-laden European Tour tournament. If I hit a bad shot I’ve got an opportunity to show my grace and my character. Though the “penalty” for two such breaches would cost the game’s highest earner (and, of course, anyone else in violation) pocket change of some $2,800, Spieth was confused by the action.
“All I’ve dreamed of from a little kid is winning majors”.
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.
“So then I called Michael [Greller, his caddie] over and said “We’ve got time, let’s try and nail this thing down” because we had been on the clock for a number of holes”.
“I’m just growing in confidence and belief every single day”, said DeChambeau, who is regarded as one of the hottest young players in the sport after also becoming NCAA champion in 2015.
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Stenson, who had a surgery done on his right knee in December, had said his first challenge would be to walk the 18 holes this week.
