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11/05 07:02 CST McIlroy boosts Race to Dubai title chances as Laporta leads in
Abu Dhabi with first-round 62
McIlroy boosts Race to Dubai title chances as Laporta leads in Abu Dhabi with
first-round 62
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) --- Rory McIlroy fared the best of the
three Race to Dubai contenders in a low-scoring first round of the Abu Dhabi
Championship.
All were far behind Francesco Laporta.
The two-week postseason playoffs on golf's European tour began with the
224th-ranked Laporta shooting 10-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead over
three players --- including fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm --- at Yas Links on
Thursday.
"Everything was just going like a video game," said Laporta, who missed a
6-foot birdie putt at No. 18 for a 61 that would have tied the course record.
The big subplot in this next-to-last event of the 2026 season is the fight for
the Race to Dubai title, which crowns the No. 1 player on the European tour
each year. It looks to be down to McIlroy, Patrick Reed and standings leader
Eugenio Chacarra, and all three are playing in the same group for the first two
rounds.
McIlroy rebounded from a double-bogey 6 at No. 12 by making three straight
birdies from No. 14 to shoot 68, leaving him six strokes off the lead.
Chacarra shot 70 and Reed had a frustrating day, making 15 pars and a closing
double-bogey 7 in a 74 that saw him tied for 56th in the 70-man field.
McIlroy, the world No. 2, is seeking a fifth straight Race to Dubai title to
move level on the all-time list on eight with Colin Montgomerie, who won the
award when it was called the Order of Merit.
McIlroy is around 1,000 points behind Chacarra --- a Spaniard playing his first
full season on the European tour --- and around 330 behind second-placed Reed,
but the winner in Abu Dhabi this week will gain 1,500 points.
The season finishes in Dubai as usual next week, where 2,000 points are up for
grabs for the winner.
Rahm returns in style
Rahm, one of the many players who are leaving financially stricken LIV Golf, hadn't competed for seven weeks and was playing Yas Links for the first time. It didn't show. He was bogey free, making seven birdies thanks mainly to strong iron play and a dose of luck. "A few bad swings that I got away with," Rahm said. "But overall, yeah, I shot really nice today." The two-time major winner was tied with Bernd Wiesberger and Sam Bairstow in second place on 7 under. Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk, a recent winner at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, were a further stroke behind after 66s. ___ See AP's full golf coverage here
Rahm returns in style
Rahm, one of the many players who are leaving financially stricken LIV Golf, hadn't competed for seven weeks and was playing Yas Links for the first time. It didn't show. He was bogey free, making seven birdies thanks mainly to strong iron play and a dose of luck. "A few bad swings that I got away with," Rahm said. "But overall, yeah, I shot really nice today." The two-time major winner was tied with Bernd Wiesberger and Sam Bairstow in second place on 7 under. Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk, a recent winner at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, were a further stroke behind after 66s. ___ See AP's full golf coverage here
