European Tour

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2019

January 16-19

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates

$7,000,000

Live Leaderboard

January 16-19

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, United Arab Emirates

$7,000,000

Live Leaderboard

Round 1

Lowry leads in Abu Dhabi after matching course record

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

January 16, 2019

Shane Lowry will take a three-shot lead into the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA after equalling the course record with a sparkling 62 on Wednesday.

- Getty Images

“I'm obviously over the moon. It equals the best score I've ever shot. I knew that, as well, and I said it to my caddie coming down the last. A birdie here would be the best score I've ever shot, which obviously he said, then why don't you just go for it. I left the putt short, but I felt like I hit a decent putt, it was just a bit more into the grain than I felt, and yeah, obviously I'm very chuffed."

Lowry enjoyed a long break over the Christmas period having not played competitively since the 2018 ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf in November, and the 31 year old looked refreshed at the first Rolex Series event of the 2019 Race to Dubai season, matching his career best round from the 2009 Irish Open, which he won while still an amateur.

“Golf just a funny game, isn't it. Obviously quite a lot of time off since the World Cup but put in a decent bit of work the last two weeks over here in Dubai and just gone out with not much expectation but knew I was playing okay, and everything clicked.

“I didn't hit as many fairways as I would have liked, but I was hitting everything close and managed to hole a couple of putts, as well. It was one of those days where it just felt comfortable. Even standing there on the last hole, sometimes you can get a little bit anxious or nervous in situations like that, but I just felt great.

“I have to say I've been sick for the last two days with a really bad throat and fever, so had some really bad nights.", said Mike Lorenzo-Vera. "So very happy about the start anyway.

“It's going to be definitely my objective to catch at least one (win), but we are trying to just be out of the result and then just try to work well and then the results will come.”

Three-time former champion Martin Kaymer, Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, Dane Søren Kjeldsen and Swede Alexander Björk were another stroke further back, with World Number Two Brooks Koepka at five under par.

Meanwhile, Raphaël Jacquelin joined an exclusive club when he became the 12th man to reach the impressive milestone of 600 European Tour events.

The 44 year old turned professional in 1995 and has so far claimed four European Tour titles, as well as winning twice on the Challenge Tour. The Frenchman follows in the footsteps of Sam Torrance, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Barry Lane, Colin Montgomerie, Roger Chapman, Paul Lawrie, Eamonn Darcy, Peter Baker, Malcolm Mackenzie, David Howell and Robert Karlsson by entering the 600 club.