Abu Dhabi Championship: Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry share the lead in the first round

Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry shared the lead after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.

England’s Fleetwood and Irishman Lowry, who helped Europe beat the United States in Bethpage in September, shot an eight-under 64 at Yas Links.

Adrien Sadier, Richard Stern and Kazuma Kobori complete the top five after the first day of this year’s penultimate DP World Tour Championship – with the number of entries reduced from 70 to 50 for next week’s DP World Tour Championship final.

Stern got off to a flying start when the South African was seven under on the front nine, before hitting a 75-footer on the 18th for his second eagle of the day and the club’s lead.

Two-time winner Fleetwood then finished with eight birdies for a clean round while 2019 champion Lowry had nine birdies and one bogey.

Rasmus Hougaard also played with the Ryder Cup pair, and Lowry said: “I was really excited when I saw the group, my double today. It was great to get out there with the boys.”

“It was paired with [Fleetwood] In India the first two days and I shot 64 as well, so yeah, there’s something about me and Tommy. I just love playing with him, he’s a friend and a really good player too. You kind of feed off each other.”

Englishman Marco Ping has emerged as the closest competitor to leader Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai.

The 27-year-old played McIlroy for the first time on Thursday and is among seven players within three shots of the lead, with McIlroy another shot away.

Ping, who has three wins on the tour since starting the year with a three-month suspension for breaching betting rules, had three bogeys going into the fifth round, while McIlroy birdied his final seven holes to finish with one bogey in his round of 68.