Lowry looking to complete unfinished business after sparking 64 gives him share of Abu Dhabi lead

Shane Lowry cannot win the Race to Dubai but he still stole Rory McIlroy's thunder by opening with a sparkling eight-under 64 to grab a five-way share of the lead in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Europe's Ryder Cup hero failed to make the top 70 available players in the Race to Dubai who are still eligible to win ranking points in the last two events of the season and potentially win the season-long race.

But after getting into the two season-ending Playoff events as a member of Europe's Ryder Cup team, 112th-ranked Lowry took advantage at Yas Links.

He made nine birdies and a bogey in his 64 to share the lead with Tommy Fleetwood,  South Africa's Richard Sterne, New Zealand's Kazuma Kobori and France's Adrien Saddier as Race to Dubai leader McIlroy opened with a 68 to share 27th.

"It was nice," said Lowry, who won this title at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2019 but spurned chances for further wins after playing poorly in the final group at Yas Links on Sunday in 2022 and 2023.

He clearly enjoyed playing alongside Ryder Cup teammates Fleetwood and Rasmus Hojgaard and dropped just one shot after three-putting from long range at the 12th.

"I was pretty excited when I saw the group, my pairing today and it was nice to go out there with the boys," he said. "I felt like I played well. I played lovely in the Pro-Am, so I was feeling confident coming in.”

Crediting his draw alongside close pal Fleetwood for helping him relax, he said: "I was paired with him in India the first two days and I shot 64, as well.

“So yeah, there's something about me and Tommy. But no, I just like playing with him, your friend, and a really good player, too, and you kind of feed off each other. It was nice."

Lowry was pleased with his putting and iron play, but he's not getting ahead of himself at a venue where closing rounds of 77 and 76 cost him the title at Yas Links in 2022 and 2023.

"I have a great record without having a great finish here," he confessed. "I don't know, I just like the place.

"The condition of it is amazing, and I just see my way around here pretty well. Hopefully, I can put four rounds together this week."

McIlroy is looking to win his seventh Race to Dubai next week and while he was outscored by his nearest rival, Marco Penge, who shot 67 to his 68, he hopes to move through the gears over the next three days.

"It was okay," said McIlroy, who was pleased with the new driver he's put in the bag this week. "I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances on the back nine. Just didn't really convert.

"You know, that was hopefully the bad round out of the way. There are three more rounds to try to take it a bit lower."

Confident he has more in the tank,  McIlroy added: "Just trying to work my way through the gears right now.

"It's getting there. As I said, hopefully that's my sort of worst round out of the way. But it wasn't terrible by all means."

Lowry, Fleetwood, Sterne, Kobori and Saddier lead by a shot from Nicolai Hojgaard, Andy Sullivan, Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, Nacho Elvira, Michael Kim, Keita Nakajima and Alex Noren.

But it was a tough day for last week's Hong Kong Open winner, Tom McKibbin, who played in the windier late conditions.

The Holywood star made two double bogeys in a 75 that left him joint 70th in the 72-man field but in no danger of falling out of the top 50 in the Race to Dubai who will contest the DP World Tour Championship next week.