McIlroy upstages Spieth in Abu Dhabi; US amateur takes lead

Al Awani said: “The founders continue to support this event which benefits charity and which these year will raise funds for the Emirates Red Crescent”. “It didn’t affect the round, but Rory and Rickie were surprised as well”.

Making only his seventh professional start, the 22-year-old DeChambeau belied his amateur status by shooting seven birdies and an eagle to lead a stellar field midway through the opening round.

Jordan Spieth was aggrieved at being given a warning for slow play, and complained that his tee shots were “short and crooked”. “It helps me keep my same posture, same setup, same everything”, said the Californian. Sometimes we need to apply some common sense, especially when we are not out of position. “I understand the rule, but it doesn’t make sense when we had caught up and were going off the clock”.

“The players have embraced it”, Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said.

Birdies at the 10th and 12th followed before his first stumbles of the day, back-to-back bogeys at the 13th and 14th. “I’ll analyse today and see what I can do better at tomorrow and we’ll go from there”.

DeChambeau has two distinct swings with his driver – a “fairway finder” and “crank” swing for extra distance – but his irons have all been modified to be the length of a six iron. Rather than traditional numbering, they are differentiated by the degree of loft stamped on the sole. Over the next few seasons, they will duke it out for dominance over golf’s new order – we could be witnessing the start of one of the sport’s great rivalries.

To accommodate the Olympic tournament, the year’s final major, the PGA Championship, has also had to be moved to late July from its traditional date in the second week of August, but Spieth sounded keen.

Put it together and we have a compelling scenario on our hands: the top ranked American and the top ranked European will be vying for the same trophy for the first time since the WGC-HSBC Champions back in November. “He was on his A-game and if he keeps striking it like that, I’m going to have to make up for it somewhere else”.

However, Spieth said winning the biennial Ryder Cup with the United States team in Minnesota in September/October was probably top of his priorities for 2016 after playing on the losing side against Europe in 2014. He emerged from a two-month winter break with a week of practice in Dubai last week, and says he is refreshed and refocused. I could not be happier.

I realize that this is only the first round, but not only has he won both the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA Championship, but he came just short of becoming the first amateur to win the Australian Masters.

Spieth shrugged off the controversy and displayed his renowned mental strength to birdie that concluding hole for a 68, which kept him within four of DeChambeau.