Nicolai von Dellingshausen fires a flawless 65 to start the DP World Tour finale in Abu Dhabi. Marcel Schneider posts even par.
German golfer Nicolai von Dellingshausen delivered a stellar opening round at the DP World Tour finale in Abu Dhabi, carding seven birdies without a single bogey. His 65 puts him in a tie for sixth, just one shot behind the leaders. Fellow countryman Marcel Schneider finished with an even-par 72 after a steady round.
Strong start for Von Dellingshausen at DP World Tour finale
Von Dellingshausen looked composed from the outset. He opened his birdie account on the par-5 2nd with a precise approach and a confident two-meter putt. Another birdie followed on the 3rd from four meters. After a string of pars, he caught fire on the closing holes of the front nine, making birdies on 7, 8, and 9—including a tap-in after a solid chip and a pinpoint approach on the 9th. He made the turn at five under par.
The back nine started quietly, but he remained error-free. On the 11th, he saved par from the bunker and converted the up-and-down into a birdie. He then strung together solid pars before capitalizing on the 18th with a short birdie putt, closing his round at seven under par. His bogey-free 65 puts him in a strong position heading into round two.
Schneider steady but trails
Marcel Schneider opened with nine straight pars, showing consistency on the front nine. He finally picked up a shot on the par-5 11th with a sandy birdie. A poor bunker shot on the par-3 13th led to a bogey, but he bounced back immediately with a birdie on 14 after a strong recovery from the sand. However, his hopes of finishing under par faded on the 18th, where two shots into the fairway bunker and a missed up-and-down resulted in a closing bogey. He signed for an even-par 72, placing him T59 on the leaderboard.
Lowry and Fleetwood shine in Abu Dhabi
The leaderboard is topped by five players at eight under, including Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry and