With so many world-class players making their first appearance of 2015 on The European Tour at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the first day was always going to be fascinating. And so it proved, with the likes of Martin Kaymer, World Number One Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler all going low...
8 – under par leads the way for three-time Champion Martin Kaymer after his first round 64
10 – birdies for the German star on day one
95– under par for Kaymer in 29 rounds at Abu Dhabi GC after his latest round in the red
8– birdies and a 65 for Belgian Thomas Pieters, who’s alone in second place
23- players are within four shots of the lead after the first 18 holes
5– birdies in six holes for Branden Grace from the 13th to 18th holes, on his way to a fine six under par 66
5 – players shot 66 – they were Grace, Alexander Levy, Tyrrell Hatton, Mikko Ilonen and Grégory Bourdy
67 – for World Number One McIlroy and playing partner and World Number 10 Fowler
5 – under par 31 on his back nine for McIlroy having started from the tenth tee
14– Greens in Regulation found for the Northern Irishman
5– birdies in six holes for McIlroy from his 12th to 17th holes
82– under par for Rory at Abu Dhabi GC in his eighth visit to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this year
27 – putts needed for both McIlroy and Fowler
3– under par on the four par threes for Fowler
2– Holes in one during the first round, taking the total of aces in championship history to 11 in ten editions
193- Yardage Tom Lewis holed out from at the par three seventh (seven iron), winning the Englishman a new Cadillac Escalade worth almost $90,000
174 – Yardage Miguel Ángel Jiménez covered in one blow at the 15th - the first time that hole has been aced in tournament play
8– career hole in ones for Miguel on The European Tour now, moving him into second place in the all-time list for most ET aces, just one behind Colin Montgomerie
5 – birdies in a row from the first got Gary Stal’s year off to the perfect start – Mikko Ilonen also made five birdies in a row
0– birdies for World Number Two Henrik Stenson in his disappointing four over par 76
12– players have contested all ten editions of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship – they are Stenson, Simon Dyson, Marc Warren, Damien McGrane, Richard Green, Raphael Jacquelin, Soren Kjeldsen, Gregory Havret, Anthony Wall, Graeme Storm, Paul Lawrie & Mark Foster
67– an opening five under par round from Alex Noren has him in a tie for sixth in his first event since last May’s BMW PGA Championship
2 – events Alex Noren played in 2014 due to a tendonitis problem in both wrists which required surgery
9- the par four played the hardest on day one, averaging 4.18
8 - the par five was the easiest, averaging 4.69
