Swede Peter Hanson and Briton Paul Lawrie parried the punches of the European Tour’s heavyweights to lead the way after the Dubai World Championship first round on Thursday.
While Rory McIlroy (66) seized the early initiative against money-list leader Luke Donald (72) in their fight to end the season as Europe’s No. 1 golfer, Hanson fired a record-equaling 64 at the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course.
Lawrie produced the sort of display that earned him victory at The Open in 1999 as he tucked into second place on 65, one ahead of McIlroy and two in front of Spain’s Sergio Garcia.
Photo: AFP
Hanson, a member of last year’s triumphant Ryder Cup team, was bursting with pride after his round.
“I think it’s the best golf I’ve ever played,” he told reporters.
“It is quite a demanding course and the wind picked up a little over the back nine, so I am very happy with the way I struck the ball and rolled a few putts in,” Hanson said.
Photo: Reuters
“My ball-striking was very pure. I gave myself a lot of chances and my first five birdies were tap-ins which was nice,” he said.
Hanson started his round quietly, but a sequence of six birdies in eight holes from the 10th separated him from the rest of the elite, 57-man field.
The 34-year-old spurned a good chance to eclipse the course record held by Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher.
“I chipped it up to about six feet at the last and missed my birdie putt,” Hanson said. “But I had no idea about the record. It was a really hard putt, it broke hard off the right. I tried to drop it in from there and it went just a little too hard.”
Veteran Lawrie ended a barren run of nine years without a victory when he captured the Andalucia Open title in March and said he still believed he was capable of improving as a player.
“I probably hit more balls and work harder at my game than I ever did,” he said.
“I’m only 42 and have got a long time to go,” the Scotsman added.
“If you want to get better you have to put the time in and I’ve been doing that. I want to be back in the top 50 of the rankings,” the world No. 163 said.
McIlroy put together a stunning run of scores to climb the leaderboard, roaring home in 30 strokes thanks to five birdies in the last six holes.
“That back nine was pretty much flawless and I holed some really nice putts,” McIlroy, the world No. 2, said. “I just kept giving myself birdie chances and luckily enough I was able to take a few.”
“It was a perfect start to the tournament for me. To shoot a great score like that sets me up nicely for the next three days,” he said.
USPGA Tour money-list winner Donald is bidding to become the first player to land the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic.
He has a lead of US$1.06 million over second-placed McIlroy at the top of the money list and needs to finish in the top eight to guarantee he ends the season as Europe’s No. 1.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
A new NZ$683 million (US$404 million) stadium that was a symbol of Christchurch’s struggle to rebuild after a deadly earthquake struck the New Zealand city is to host its first match tomorrow in front of a sellout crowd. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed 185 people in February 2011 and toppled or damaged buildings, including the city’s old Lancaster Park. The stadium, which hosted international rugby and cricket, and was home to the Canterbury Crusaders, was badly damaged and never reopened. It was bulldozed in 2019 and turned into sports fields, leaving the Crusaders without a permanent home. Government funding for a new stadium was
RSS