Kaymer turns back the clock on opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Three-time winner Martin Kaymer carded an eight under par 64 to set the pace on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The 30-year-old from Düsseldorf moved one shot clear at the top of the leaderboard with a stunning 260-yard approach and a birdie on the 18th to complete a superb opening round.
Having already secured three Falcon trophies, Kaymer looked at ease and relaxed as he worked his way around the new changes at The National course with precision to finish the day with 10 birdies.
He pinpointed his putting as the reason for such an impressive first competitive round of the season.
“I putted really well today,” he said. “I made 10 birdies, and there were I think three putts in those 10 birdies that were over 15 feet, 18 feet, and that’s very rare. But I putted very well and that was probably the key in the last few years and today.”
Belgian Thomas Pieters set the pace earlier in the day, carding an opening round of 65 to finish seven under par. The 22-year-old, who is ranked 237th in the World Rankings and has never won on the European Tour, set The National alight early on with seven birdies in his first 13 holes.
His run of birdies was halted on the 15th when he bogeyed after missing a straightforward putt, but he quickly found his touch again and finished the day with a final birdie.
“It was nice to start out the season with a seven under, so I’m happy,” he said. “I like the greens here. They changed a couple of the greens around like the fourth, so it’s going to be a really good pin.”
Pieters finished one shot ahead of a group of five players finishing the day at six under par, while big guns Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler both completed their rounds at five under par to stay well in the mix.
McIlroy had a slow start and completed the back nine on level par, but quickly found his feet with a dazzling shot from the edge of the rough and bunker on the third, securing a birdie.
“I had a nice little run around the middle of the round, and from looking like I might make bogey on the third hole with that dodgy lie just over the bunker, having a chance to shoot 6 under on the last was a nice finish,” the world number one said.
McIlroy’s playing partner Fowler, the American hotshot who is playing in Abu Dhabi for the first time, also admitted he got off to a “shaky start”, but soon found his way and played with consistency.
“It was nice to get things off to a consistent start and throw some birdies in there,” he said. “Unfortunately I made bogey at the last, but made some good swings coming down the stretch and I’m definitely pleased with the start.”
In typical “unexpected” fashion, fans were also treated to two hole-in-ones on the opening day, with Englishman Tom Lewis slotting an ace on the seventh hole before Miguel Angel Jimenez recorded a hole-in-one on 15. Twenty four year-old Lewis won a brand new $90,000 Cadillac Escalade for his efforts whilst Jimenez, one of golf’s greatest characters, celebrated with a moonwalk-style dance on the fairway! The Spaniard’s remarkable strike was the eighth hole-in-one of his career, placing him second on the all-time European Tour list.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2015 is presented by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and runs at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from 15-18 January. Tickets and tailored packages are available via the event’s official website – www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com at AED50 for a daily pass and AED150 for a four-day pass. Guests staying at any Abu Dhabi hotel over the Championship period enter free and all those who book packages will enjoy a complimentary clinic with a world top 30 player.
