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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Aaron Rai holed out from 214 yards for an albatross in his 8-under 64 that left him tied for the lead with fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood after the second spherical of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday.
Rai’s second shot on the par-5 No. 2 pitched just a few yards onto the inexperienced then rolled down into the cup at Yas Hyperlinks Golf Membership.
“You could not see it from the again of the golf green, so it was a pleasant shock,” mentioned Rai, who began his bogey-free spherical two strokes off the lead on the next-to-last occasion of the European tour’s 2025 season.
Fleetwood, the winner in 2017 and ’18, was certainly one of 5 gamers in a share of the lead after an opening-round 64 and the FedEx Cup champion added a 66 – helped by birdies at his first three holes – to maneuver to 14 below for the week alongside Rai.
“I am having lots of good rounds,” Fleetwood mentioned of his sturdy end to the season, which has included being the highest factors scorer in Europe’s Ryder Cup win in September and successful the India Championship final month. “However I am not silly, and it is bitten me sufficient instances.”
Three gamers – Andy Sullivan (67), Nicolai Hojgaard (67) and Richard Sterne (68) – have been two strokes again, whereas Shane Lowry was certainly one of 4 gamers an extra shot behind after a 69.
No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy shot a second straight 68 and was 8 below general, six strokes behind Rai and Fleetwood.
McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai standings and is making an attempt to win the season-long factors race on the European tour for a seventh time, which might put him only one behind Colin Montgomerie’s document haul.
Marco Penge (68) is McIlroy’s nearest rival within the Race to Dubai and is a stroke forward of the Northern Irishman, having performed in the identical group for the primary two days.
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