Andy DevaneyFrancesco Laporta arrived at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship sitting 57th in the Race to Dubai rankings, with work to do if he wanted tdo extend his season into next week’s DP World Tour Championship.
By the time he’d finished his opening round at Yas Links, the Italian had given himself considerably more breathing room.
An eagle, eight birdies and not a bogey in sight added up to a magnificent ten-under-par 62, matching the lowest round of his DP World Tour career and leaving him three strokes clear of Jon Rahm, Sam Bairstow and Bernd Wiesberger.
Not a bad way to begin the Play-Offs.
Laporta Makes Light Work of Yas Links
With the top 70 available players contesting the first Play-Off event and only 50 progressing to the season finale in Dubai, there is rather more at stake this week than a handsome leaderboard position.
Laporta, 36, certainly played as though he had somewhere else to be next Thursday.
He opened his scoring with a birdie at the par-five second before converting a 30-foot putt at the fifth. An eagle followed at the seventh, where he rolled one in from 40 feet, and consecutive birdies took him to the turn in just 30 strokes.
The back nine offered little relief for the chasing pack.
Another birdie arrived at the par-five 11th, followed by a superb tee shot at the par-three 13th and an approach to 12 feet at the 14th. A further 40-foot birdie putt at the 16th completed a round in which seemingly everything went his way.
“Everything was just going like a video game, like just hitting shots straight and making some putts and just giving myself opportunities.”
There was an encouraging backstory to the performance, too. Laporta admitted he’d been struggling with his game in the days leading up to the tournament, prompting an extended practice session on the range and putting greens.
The extra work appears to have been time rather well spent.
Rahm, Bairstow and Wiesberger Keep the Pressure On
Three shots behind Laporta, three players produced rounds that would ordinarily have been more than enough to command attention.
Rahm, making his first appearance at the event, signed for a bogey-free 65 and credited his iron play for creating opportunities throughout the day.
“Obviously a very good score. I think the highlight today was my iron game. Very good with the irons. Gave myself plenty of chances and obviously holed a few.”
The Spaniard admitted that a couple of loose swings had escaped punishment, but his overall performance put him firmly in contention as he attempts to secure a place in Dubai.
Bairstow’s opening round carried its own appealing twist.
The Englishman was the final player to qualify for the field and the first to tee off on Thursday morning. Seven birdies, no bogeys and a 65 later, he’d made an excellent case for keeping his season alive.
Wiesberger matched that score with eight birdies and a solitary bogey.
The Austrian, now in his 20th year as a professional, is also pursuing dual membership with the PGA Tour. His opening round offered a reminder that he remains perfectly capable of mixing it with the younger generation.
Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk sit another stroke back at six under, with defending champion Aaron Rai among a group at five under that also includes Tyrrell Hatton, Yuto Katsuragawa, Wenyi Ding, Shaun Norris and Kristoffer Reitan.
McIlroy Accepts Two-Shot Penalty After Rules Review
While Laporta was enjoying the sort of afternoon golfers dream about, Rory McIlroy had rather more complicated business to deal with.
The Northern Irishman signed for a two-under-par 70, but his round included a two-stroke penalty following an incident at the 12th hole.
McIlroy’s first chip from below the green had climbed the slope before rolling back into a divot. As he prepared to play his second chip, television footage appeared to show a small piece of grass moving as he placed his club behind the ball.
Under Rule 8.1b(4), players are permitted to ground their clubs lightly immediately in front of or behind the ball, even where doing so improves the lie. Pressing the club down into the ground, however, is not permitted.
After reviewing the footage, McIlroy could not establish whether he’d pressed down on the grass. Concerned about how the incident might be perceived, he chose to accept the penalty rather than proceed without one.
“I don’t feel like I pressed down. But at the same time, I don’t want the perception of people thinking I got away with something either. So I’m happy to take a 2-shot penalty and move on and move into tomorrow.”
It was an unusual episode, particularly with McIlroy pursuing an eighth Race to Dubai title, but his decision allowed him to move on with the matter settled.
Race to Dubai Battle Remains Wide Open
McIlroy’s 70 left him alongside current Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra at two under, while second-placed Patrick Reed endured a more difficult opening day, signing for a two-over-par 74.
With three rounds still to play, those positions are hardly decisive, although Reed will need a significant improvement to recover ground.
For Laporta, the immediate priority is rather simpler.
Beginning the week seven places outside the top 50, he has put himself in an excellent position to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship. Holding on over the remaining 54 holes is another matter entirely, particularly with Rahm and several other established names close enough to apply pressure.
But after ten birdie-or-better holes, a flawless scorecard and a three-shot advantage, Laporta could scarcely have asked for a better start.
The challenge now is to make sure Thursday’s extraordinary golf counts for something come Sunday.
