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Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are in a share of the lead after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.<\/b><\/p>\n
England’s Fleetwood and Irishman Lowry, who helped Europe beat the USA at Bethpage<\/a> in September, both carded an eight-under 64 at Yas Links.<\/p>\n Adrien Saddier, Richard Sterne and Kazuma Kobori complete the five leaders after day one of the DP World Tour’s penultimate tournament of the year – with a field of 70 whittled down to 50 for next week’s DP World Tour Championship finale.<\/p>\n Sterne made a flying start as the South African was seven under after the front nine, before landing a 75-foot putt on the 18th to claim his second eagle of the day and take the clubhouse lead.<\/p>\n Two-time winner Fleetwood then finished with eight birdies in a spotless round while 2019 champion Lowry had nine birdies and a single bogey. <\/p>\n Rasmus Hojgaard also played with the Ryder Cup duo and Lowry said: “I was pretty excited when I saw the group, my pairing today. It was nice to go out there with the boys.<\/p>\n “I was paired with [Fleetwood] in India<\/a> the first two days and I shot 64 as well, so yeah, something about me and Tommy. I just like playing with him, a friend and a really good player too. You kind of feed off each other.”<\/p>\n England’s Marco Penge has emerged as the closest challenger to leader Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old played with McIlroy for the first time on Thursday and is among seven players who are three shots off the lead, with McIlroy a shot further back.<\/p>\n Penge, who has claimed three Tour wins since starting the year with a three-month ban for breaching betting rules,<\/a> had three bogeys as he went round five under, while McIlroy parred his final seven holes to finish with one bogey in his round of 68.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n