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ABU DHABI — European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald shot an 8-under 64 at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday, beating many players who would join his team.
Donald closed with a 4-foot putt on the No. 9 on his final hole with four birdies in a row, nine in total at the start of one of the top events on the European Tour schedule, also 2023 first hole.
The 45-year-old Briton last won a title in 2012 when he was the world’s number one golfer. In 2011-12, he spent a total of 56 weeks at No. 1 as a regular winner on both sides of the Atlantic.
Now ranked 541st, Donald’s name rarely appears on leaderboards, but his profile was boosted by his Ryder Cup captaincy against Team USA outside Rome in September.
A win at the Yas Island links this week could make him an in-field captain.
“I think the last time this happened was in 1975,” Donald laughs. “No, we’re a long way from that.”
Still, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood were all hoping to play Team Europe at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, but they couldn’t live with Donald on a day when the starters scored in the morning before the wind lower up.
Guido Migliozzi, an Italian with a chance at the Ryder Cup, and Australia’s Jason Scrivener shot 65s to finish one shot behind the leaders. Irishman Seamus Bower, the PGA Tour FedEx Cup leader and also with Ryder Cup hopes, shot a 66 to finish alone in fourth place.
Lowry, the top-ranked player in the field, and a rejuvenated Italian, Francesco Molinari, were strong last week in the Hero Cup, shooting 5 under after a 67.
“It kind of suits my eyes,” Donald said. “It’s not too tight off the tee. You’ve got to pick some good lines.”
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