Jamison takes early lead in Abu Dhabi

first day report

Scott Jamison takes a one-shot lead overnight at HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi, opening of 2022 DP World Tour season Rolex Series, Ryder Cup players Victor Hofland and Thomas Peters is in hot pursuit.

Jamison’s first and only victory came at the Nelson Mandela Championship at ISPS HANDA nine years ago, but the Scot has been outstanding in his last three matches – he has not been out since 2019 The worst result ever was a tie for 16th.

The 38-year-old set a new course record at Yas Links – the first time the event has been held this week – with a bogey-free 63-under par nine to take a shot off the course Moved away, some of which were due to darkness, and had not completed their first round when play was suspended.

Hofland, who made his Ryder Cup debut last year and has won three PGA Tour titles since turning pro in 2019, was straight in second with a 64 while Peters was under par. The 7-shot score is another higher score.

Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton and Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter were two of five players tied for fourth before the horns rang. The first round will restart at 7:45am local time on Friday.

Player Quotes

Scott Jamison: “Honestly, it’s been a really solid day. It’s eight weeks away from championship golf, so you’re always a little nervous at the beginning of the day, but with the first birdie, any advantage is there, and Solid all day, not great tee off but I was lucky and recovered well.

“It’s the first off-season and I haven’t really peeled off and tried to figure out how to get better. I think the race was good in Dubai, just missed out on getting into the top 10. Last few races last year I’ve been driving it, so no, I’m comfortable in my race. I just hope it’s back in eight weeks.

“You’re never too sure what games are coming. There’s been some practice and games at home the past few weeks, but when you have a gun on your head and you’re stressed out, it’s not the same. Thank goodness for the most part , I’ve always been able to handle it, so I’m happy with that round.”

Victor Hofland: “It was good. I didn’t have the best shot at the start, but you managed to get away with it and hit a bunch of putts today, which obviously helped with jet lag.

“There are some tricky clubs in there and obviously the greens are pretty serious. I don’t know, this grass, I just find it really comfortable on paspalum and I read the greens perfectly. Just started mine Line, it was the day the putter came in and I was able to take advantage of it.

“You can’t control what happens tomorrow. It’s easy to force a few birdies here and there, but you have to be very disciplined because there are some tricky pins and you’re going to be a little greedy and miss on the wrong side and you just don’t stand a chance “While it was important to get a low score today, just making a bogey today was a big deal. That’s fine.”

Thomas Peters: “I didn’t miss a green, which is always good because you don’t really know your game, at least it’s the first 18 holes I’ve played since Dubai last year, so it’s a good start.

“I think the first 12 holes are relatively easy and the back 3 or 4 holes are pretty tricky, at least 2 1/2 club wind but still manageable. The greens are big so you can play in some places, but if you’re like I also keep some long putts for myself, and that’s tricky.

“We’re going to be guinea pigs (in the wind) and if we play 4 over after four holes maybe they can call it that because it looks windy so I don’t know. If I can play tomorrow A par and I think I’ll be fine.”

Tyrell Hatton: “I did some work at the beginning of the year, but I absolutely needed it, I haven’t touched the club for three weeks after the Bahamas, which is lovely. Loved playing Xbox and didn’t do much else, but started going to Orlando this year and re- start working.

“I was surprised how I scored today. I didn’t actually feel like I played that well. I don’t think I got bogeys either. Yeah, that’s a good way to start.

“I just went out and tried to pick goals from the tee. I tried to score, that’s how I imagined it on every tee, just trying to score as many goals as possible. I don’t think I actually hit a lot of fairways today. , but apparently I got away with it.

“Hopefully I can play a little bit better tomorrow. We’re going to have pretty windy conditions and I think I have to play a little bit better than I did today.”