Brits fly the flag as see saw thursday leaves Abu Dhabi falcon hunt wide open
A British double-act tops the opening day leaderboard at the US$2.7million Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, with England’s world number five, Justin Rose, and Welshman Jamie Donaldson, the world number 47, sharing the summit at five-under par. Following a calm, largely-windless morning at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the National Course’s sun-kissed fairways bit back in the afternoon, as unseasonal breezes outfoxed an assortment of the world’s most prominent players – most notably world number one, Rory McIlroy, who toiled to a three-over par 75.
Behind Rose and Donaldson, a veritable United Nations of players lie primed to attack the overnight leaders. Thorbjorn Oleson (Denmark) and Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) sit at four-under par, while Liang Weng-chong (China), George Coetzee (South Africa), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Michael Campbell (New Zealand) and David Howell (England) are one further back.
World number two, Tiger Woods, playing in a crowd-pulling pairing with McIlroy and triple Abu Dhabi champion, Martin Kaymer, carded a 72 to reach the clubhouse at par. Woods’ dramatic, topsy-turvy round featured a scintillating eagle putt that menacingly flirted with the cup on 18 and a mishit drive that narrowly broke the 100-yard mark on hole one.
The enthralling Woods-McIlroy-Kaymer spectacle drew thousands of spectators, as Championship organisers predicted the tournament’s best first-day attendance to date.
After a bogey on the first, Rose, making his Abu Dhabi debut, was coolness personified. Six birdies from holes two to 10 put the Ryder Cup hero back on track, before eight consecutive pars underlined the Englishman’s new-found confidence.
“That was definitely a great start, shooting five-under,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a tough afternoon and certainly the wind picked up even more on the back nine. I guess it was a good scoring day for me and obviously I could see that no-one else in the afternoon had made any sort of run, so I felt very good about that score.”
Jamie Donaldson, enjoying the morning stillness, carded his five-under 67 from an 8.00am tee time to hold the clubhouse lead for most of the day. Featuring a solid half-dozen birdies, Donaldson’s card was marred only by a bogey on hole six.
Despite his dominant display, the winner of last year’s Irish Open felt the National Course offered a stiff challenge: “You’ve got to keep out of the rough and if you don’t, you’ve got to just give yourself chances of making pars. It’s a tough golf course and you’ve just got to keep it on the straight and narrow.”
McIlroy, a huge favourite with Abu Dhabi galleries after successive second-place finishes, is confident of a Friday charge. “It wasn’t quite what I wanted, but it’s just a case of going and working a little bit on the range this afternoon and hopefully going out tomorrow and playing a little bit better and making the weekend.
“Even though it wasn’t what I wanted, I felt like there were a few good signs out there. So, I’m looking forward to doing a bit better.”
Kaymer, who won in Abu Dhabi in 2008, 2010 and 2011, couldn’t be sure how the week would end for him after a one-under round today.
“Some years it suits my eye, some years it doesn’t. I’ve been here six times. I’ve won three times and missed the cut twice. So either one might happen this week!”
However he plays for the rest of the week, Martin was full of admiration for Abu Dhabi and the Gulf region.
“We should come here more often, that’s for sure, because there’s a lot of potential here. The golf courses we play, they are fantastic. The people we work with are fun, and I hope the world gets to know the states and the countries here even better, because it is very nice to come here,” he said.
England’s Robert Rock, the defending champion, had a difficult round as three bogeys and three birdies in the first 11 holes were followed by five bogeys over the next six holes. Rock, who eventually finished on four-over par, has a mountain to climb if he is to defend the Falcon trophy.
Ernie Els, also on his first visit to Abu Dhabi, couldn’t quite match the form that saw him win the Pro-Am on Wednesday, but he was satisfied with his one under 71, which sees him well positioned for a weekend charge.
Matteo Manassero, a global golf ambassador for Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the Championship organiser, was fast out of the gates, with two consecutive birdies. Solid pars for the next eight holes appeared to put the 19-year-old Italian in a strong position before bogeys on 11 and 15 saw him finish level-par.
With giant names struggling, Sohail Al Marzouqi, the only Emirati in the Championship field, gave a brave performance that included birdies on holes four and on 18. Unfortunately, a triple bogey on nine, his last hole, contributed to a final score of nine-over.
Friday’s second day sees ladies enter free as part of ‘Ladies Day’ and includes a best dressed competition run in partnership with glamour magazine Hello! Middle East. The winner will receive a one night’s stay at the Championship’s official hotel, the five-star St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, a luxurious spa treatment and a complimentary golf lesson at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
Elsewhere, special appearances and master-classes in rugby and tennis – delivered by former British number one, Tim Henman, and three of the greatest British players of all time, Scotland’s Gavin Hastings and Welshmen Jonathan and Gareth Davies – take place at the HSBC Interactive Village daily at 11am and 4pm.
