Mcilroy takes early lead in Abu Dhabi with first-round 64

Rory Mcilroy put himself in contention to win an event where he has had many near misses, shooting 8-under 64 Thursday in the first round of the season-opening Abu Dhabi Championship.

In 10 appearances in Abu Dhabi, Mcilroy has finished second on four occasions and third three times. Apart from one missed cut, he has only one finish outside the top 10 — tied for 11th place in 2008 in his first appearance.

The four-time major champion endured the third winless season of his professional career in 2020 but shrugged off a fog delay of almost three hours to start 2021 with eight birdies.

Mcilroy has a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton (65), with later starters unable to finish their first round.