Paratore and Norris Lead After 18 at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

After the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, the pair of Renato Paratore and Shaun Norris hold a share of the lead.

The pair both carded eight-under-par rounds of 64 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to hold a two-shot lead over the rest of the field on Thursday evening at the first Rolex Series event of the season.

Neither man went bogey-free, but both were able to post rounds that included nine birdies and a bogey on the opening day to hold the lead.

World No.1 Brooks Koepka sits two shots back in a tie for 3rd alongside Australia’s Jason Scrivener, with the pair both posting bogey-free rounds of 66.

Koepka finished his round with three birdies in his last four holes, and he also had this chip-in birdie on the 17th to maintain his momentum.

Meanwhile, the Australian, who sits just inside the top 150 in the Official World Golf Rankings, started his round with three birdies in his opening three holes.

Six men then sit at -5, three off the lead, in a tie for 5th spot. The Spanish duo of Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello are amongst them, along with the second American inside the top ten, in Kurt Kitayama, who finished inside the top 15 in last season’s Race to Dubai.

Australia’s Zach Murray, who currently sits outside the top 500 in the world, China’s Haotong Li and South African Zander Lombard are the other three men at the -5 mark.

More from Pro Golf Now

• Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
• Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
• Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
• Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
• Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament

Three-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Martin Kaymer is alongside Race to Dubai leader Branden Grace and Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick at -4, while the likes of Bernd Wiesberger, Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood sit a further shot back in a tie for 18th.

Also in that group, five off the lead, is the second Chinese player inside the top 20, in Yuxin Lin. He currently leads the amateur battle, with 15-year-old Joshua Hill coming next, the Englishman sitting at +2.

Defending Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion Shane Lowry carded an opening round of 70, and he is alongside Søren Kjeldsen, the Dane who is playing in his 600th European Tour event, just the 13th man to reach that number.

World No.6 Patrick Cantlay and World No.10 Tommy Fleetwood are both at -1, with the likes of Danny Willett and Thomas Bjørn accompanying them in a tie for 50th, while Bryson DeChambeau and Charl Schwartzel sit at level par after posting 72s on day one.

Viktor Hovland, Ian Poulter, Matt Wallace, Erik van Rooyen and Pablo Larrazabal, the man that currently holds 2nd spot on the Race to Dubai leaderboard, are all over par, and will need to be better on the second day if they are to make the cut.

Play begins at 07:20 (GMT+4) on Friday morning, with one of the overnight leaders, Shaun Norris (pictured below), teeing off from the 10th in the opening group. Renato Paratore, the other man at the top, does not tee off until 12:05.

Leaderboard:

• T1 (-8): Renato Paratore (ITA), Shaun Norris (RSA)
• T3 (-6): Brooks Koepka (USA), Jason Scrivener (AUS)
• T5 (-5): Sergio Garcia (ESP), Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP), Zach Murray (AUS), Zander Lombard (RSA), Kurt Kitayama (USA), Haotong Li (CHN)

Selected Others:

• T11 (-4): Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG), Martin Kaymer (GER), Branden Grace (RSA)
• T18 (-3): Bernd Wiesberger (AUT), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Lee Westwood (ENG), Yuxin Lin (A, CHN)
• T33 (-2): Shane Lowry (IRL), Søren Kjeldsen (DEN)
• T50 (-1): Patrick Cantlay (USA), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Danny Willett (ENG), Thomas Bjørn (DEN)
• T72 (-E): Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
• T81 (+1): Viktor Hovland (NOR), Matt Wallace (ENG), Erik van Rooyen (RSA), Ian Poulter (ENG)
• T97 (+2): Joshua Hill (A, ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)