Tommy Fleetwood of England tied the course record with a 10-under-par 62 to take a one-shot lead during the Abu Dhabi Championship’s first round.
With this, the athlete said: “When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well.”
Second-place finishers Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and American Johannes Veerman are separated by one stroke from Italian Francesco Laporta and the English trio of Tyrell Hatton, Paul Waring, and Laurie Canter.
In addition, Bob MacIntyre of Scotland finished at seven under, Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland finished at five under, and Alex Fitzpatrick, together with Matthew Jordan of England, finished at six under.
Mcllroy aiming for the win
To win a sixth Race to Dubai title, Mcllroy must place in the top two at Yas Links before the World Tour Championship in Dubai next week, which is the last tournament of the European Tour season.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and the American Patrick Cantlay emerged as joint leaders after the first round of the 124th US Open at Pinehurst, North California, on Thursday (June 13).
McIlroy shot a bogey-free 65 at Pinehurst No. 2 to tie Patrick Cantlay for the lead at five under.
US Open first-timer Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is just one behind them at 66 followed by France’s Matthieu Pavon and the American Bryson DeChambeau, both at 67.
McIlroy full of confidence
Rory McIlroy, chasing his first major victory since his 2014 PGA Championship success, has gained in confidence. He recently said he was “closer than ever” to ending a decade-long major drought.
McIlroy played alongside PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who carded rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.
Defending champion Wyndham Clark finished three-over 73 while Tiger Woods fell nine behind with an opening-round 74.
McIlroy said his patience and discipline helped him shoot a five-under-par 65.
“Certainly the major championships that I’ve won or the ones that I’ve played well at, I’ve always seemed to get off to a good start, and it’s nice to get off to another one.
“My short game was good early on. I chipped in at five and had a really good up and down on six and on eight. But apart from that, I think I hit every other green. It was a really controlled round of golf.”
Tyrrell Hatton made history by becoming the first golfer to win three consecutive Dunhill Links championships.
Hatton said: “It’s the first time I’ve actually won the tournament with my dad here so it means a lot and to do it at the Home of Golf is really special… I’m trying not to cry to be honest. I’m a bit lost for words.”
He added: “When I made double [bogey] on 13 and then bogeyed 14 I didn’t realize I was still around the lead. I just tried my best on every shot coming in and then I saw where I was actually standing when I looked at a leaderboard on the 17th green. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.”
Despite his record-breaking achievement, his birdie on the 18th hole at the Old Course was memorable for other reasons as well. The 32-year-old athlete tied the lowest score ever recorded in the history of the competition with a score of 24 under. However, his success as the first European Ryder Cup participant to win on the DP World Tour has given him a greater significance overall.
Recently, player Rory Mcllroy has hinted that a peace deal may be announced. If so, Hatton’s one-shot victory in the $5 million ((£3.8 million) event could be remembered as the turning point in history when crossovers between the breakaway league and mainstream circuits became truly acceptable.
More so, he is back in the world’s top 20, having won twice this season. Hatton is confirmed to be in the Masters and the Open. He is also eligible for Europe’s defence against the United States at Bethpage next September.
This serves as proof that Luke Donald will undoubtedly choose him as a wildcard when the blue-and-gold team attempts to win the championships for the very first time in thirteen years.
The American Bryson DeChambeau took a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay going into the final round of the US Open after a thrilling third day at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
One of only a dozen players from the rebel LIV Golf Series in the field, the 2020 US Open champion DeChambeau was paired in the final group with overnight leader Ludvig Aberg but outplayed the Swede, shooting a spectacular three-under-par 67 to improve to seven under.
Despite needing physiotherapy for hip problems, DeChambeau looked relaxed, chatting with fans.
McIlroy, in the hunt for his first major title in a decade, ended the day tied for second place.
The four-time major champion is four under after a patient one-under 69.
The American Cantlay, who led after round one alongside McIlroy, hit a birdie on his penultimate hole to rejoin the Northern Irishman and French debutant Matthieu Pavon at four under par.
DeChambeau thanks fans
Bryson DeChambeau, who finished second at last month’s US PGA Championship, revelled in the cheers and encouragement he received from his fans.
“It was amazing – I can’t thank them enough,” DeCheambeau said. “It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up.
“It just gives me a spike in my adrenaline and allows me to focus more on delivering for the fans, for myself and for my family. It just inspires me.”
McIlroy, the 2011 US Open champion , also had a good day.
“I’m pretty much in the same position that I was last year going into the final day and hopefully I produce the golf that’s needed to go one better,” he added, referring to his US Open runner-up finish in 2023.
In the final round, McIlroy will play with Cantlay.
Several of the overnight contenders dropped back. Xander Schauffle, the new US PGA champion who started the day at one under, opened with back-to-back bogeys.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler ended a career-long streak of 26 holes without a birdie when he picked up a shot on the eighth hole and another on the 11th, but he remained 10 shots off the lead.
“Another frustrating day,” Scheffler said. “The game of golf is a mental torture chamber at times, especially the US Open.”
Ensuring his spot at this month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, Ewen Ferguson won the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany by a total of two strokes.
After finishing the final round at four under par (68), the 28-year-old athlete secured his third DP World Tour victory and his first since 2022. This put him at 18 under overall. Moreover, Ferguson’s countryman Connor Syme shared fourth place on 14 under with England’s Matthew Southgate, rounding out the top five.
Ferguson is the first Scottish golfer to win a DP World Tour event since Robert MacIntyre’s triumph at the Italian Open in 2022. Only two Scots, Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie, have won the Munich event in the past.
On qualifying at the Open Championship
Ferguson played in the Hoylake Open Championship the previous year and qualified for the Race to Dubai this year as one of the top five players who is not otherwise exempt. The Open this year is held on the shore of Ayrshire from July 18–21.
With this success, the athlete declared: “I honestly can’t believe it… The last four holes I felt like I was in a dream, I just didn’t think this was actually happening. It was crazy.”
“The exemption with this is so much weight off my shoulders. I’m so happy. Teeing it up in Troon, the Open Championship is a tournament that everyone wants to play in and I feel like I could do well there and the Scottish Open next week too… It’s such exciting times for me.” he added.
In preparation for defending his US PGA Championship title, American Brooks Koepka won the LIV Singapore event. Koepka finished on 15 under, two strokes ahead of Australia’s Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, after scoring a final-round 68 at three under par.
Koepka said. “It’s all starting to come around. I’ve put in a lot of work and I like the way things are trending… I just need to go back next week and make sure everything continues, do the right stuff and go from there.”
To become the first golfer to win four titles in the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League, Koepka led by three shots into the final round. He finished with four birdies and one bogey.
Koepka’s consistency
After the successes of his plays, he admitted, “I just played very consistently and happy with the way I played all week… I made a couple of clutch putts today and the ball-striking was solid. I didn’t really think I made too many mistakes. And that’s a great feeling when it kind of feels easy.”
Tyrrell Hatton of England shot 66 to finish at 11 under, while Jon Rahm of Spain was two strokes behind with a 67 to finish at nine under. Adrian Otaegui of Spain also prevailed in the China Open on the DP World Tour due to an outstanding 65-stroke final round.
Additionally, Otaegui recorded seven birdies to set a clubhouse target of eighteen under par. He began the final round five strokes behind leader Sebastian Soderberg.
It proved to be sufficient for victory as Soderberg, who went to the 18th level alongside Otaegui only to hit a double bogey, finished on 16 under, while Guido Migliozzi finished second on 17 under. Paul Waring of England also shot a final-round 69 to tie for 16 under.
