Fleetwood and Lowry among five tied for lead at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry are part of a five-way tie atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Golf Club on Thursday.

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Playing in the opening leg of the DP World Tour playoffs, Fleetwood was bogey-free and Lowry combined nine birdies and a bogey to finish at 64 for the round.

The connection, camaraderie and competition between the European Ryder Cup teammates has become undeniable. And it's a comfort zone for Lowry, an Irishman.

Paired early in the DP World India Championship last month, won by Fleetwood, Lowry shot another first-round 64 and finished third.

"I was pretty excited when I seen the group," Lowry said of the Abu Dhabi pairing. "Something about me and Tommy. But no, I just like playing with him, your friend, and really good player, too, and you kind of feed off each other. It was kind of nice.”

South Africa’s Richard Sterne, Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand and Adrien Saddier of France share the first-round lead.