Summary
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Aaron Rai hit an albatross from 214 yards, carding a 64-under-par 64 that left him tied for the lead with England's Tommy Fleetwood after the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday. Rai's second shot on the par-5 No. 2 hole landed a few feet on the green before rolling into the hole at Yas Links Golf Club.
«"You couldn't see it from the end of the street, so it was a nice surprise," said Rai, who started his bogey-free round two strokes behind the leader in the penultimate event of the 2025 European Tour season.
Fleetwood, the 2017 and 2018 champion, was one of five players who shared the lead after an opening round of 64. The FedEx Cup champion added a 66, boosted by birdies on his first three holes, to reach a joint total of 14-under par with Rai. «I’m having a lot of good rounds,» Fleetwood said of his strong end to the season, which includes being the top points scorer in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in September and winning the India Championship last month. «But I’m not stupid, and that’s happened to me enough times.».
Key details
Three players — Andy Sullivan (67), Nicolai Hojgaard (67) and Richard Sterne (68) — are two strokes back, while Shane Lowry is one of four players one stroke further back after a round of 69.
Rory McIlroy, ranked second, carded his second consecutive 68 and sits at 8 under par, six strokes behind Rai and Fleetwood. McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai standings and is aiming to win the European Tour season points competition for the seventh time, which would put him just one victory shy of Colin Montgomerie's record. Marco Penge (68) is McIlroy's closest rival in the Race to Dubai, one stroke ahead of the Northern Irishman, having played in the same group for the first two days.
