Rory McIlroy fired a 5-under 67 Thursday on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he continues to work by way of a current swing change.
Earlier this week, McIlroy, the world No. 3, extensively detailed the work he’s been doing over the previous month to tighten up a number of the features of his swing and make it much less reliant on timing. That included hitting balls right into a studio simulator for 3 weeks, unable to see the ball flight.
On a day ripe for scoring in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy recorded six birdies in opposition to only a lone bogey to take a seat 5 photographs off the lead after the opening day. McIlroy is in a tie for 18th, with work to do to catch chief Tommy Fleetwood.
“It felt OK,” McIlroy mentioned, explaining that, with the broader fairways and little wind, he was nonetheless concentrating extra on the swing movement than hitting photographs. He has additionally adopted a brand new pre-shot routine to make sure his takeaway is within the correct place.
“I in all probability wasn’t as imaginative on the market, or I used to be hitting very straight photographs, and I hit a pair the place I didn’t actually see the image of what I used to be making an attempt to do with the ball flight as a result of I used to be considering an excessive amount of on what I used to be doing with the swing. … Total, it felt fairly good in the present day.”
McIlroy is on the verge of wrapping up a 3rd consecutive Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour, and he’s grouped for the primary two rounds along with his nearest opponents, Thriston Lawrence (67) and Rasmus Hojgaard (66).
McIlroy, who hasn’t performed in a month, will compete on this week’s occasion in Abu Dhabi and subsequent week’s season finale in Abu Dhabi to shut out his 2024 schedule.
Fleetwood, the present world No. 10, had eight birdies and an eagle for a 10-under 62 at Yas Hyperlinks. The Englishman is a stroke away from Thorbjorn Olesen and Johannes Veerman. Tyrrell Hatton is 2 again in a gaggle at 64.
Fleetwood is utilizing a brand new TaylorMade prototype putter this week and it paid off on Thursday.
“Putted wonderful. Felt like I learn the greens so properly,” he mentioned. “Lovely tempo management and hit a variety of good putts and began holing them. It labored even throughout to the final gap, I simply hit excellent putts.”
