Nature might truly be restoring its balance. Following two rounds at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton occupy the highest spot on the standings, having recently decided to skip the second iteration of LIV Golf to come back to the European Tour. Trailing closely is Rory McIlroy, who is pursuing another Race to Dubai crown precisely as his feud with LIV Golf reaches its end.
Hatton alongside Rahm—ex-teammates on LIV Golf’s Legion XIII squad—share the top spot midway through the event at 12 under par, joined by Italian golfer Francesco LaPorta. Each golfer recorded eight birdies during Friday’s action, though Rahm had a slightly wilder day with three bogeys whereas Hatton dropped only a single shot at Yas Links.
“Overall solid golfing,” stated Rahm. “The solitary element I’d like to reclaim would be a handful of poor drives; outside of that, I feel quite at ease. A few strokes off the box caught me off guard. With any luck, I can correct those errors, but apart from that, everything felt wonderful.”
Yet neither of the co-leaders managed to post the day’s lowest score, an achievement claimed by McIlroy instead. Despite incurring an unplayable drop on the opening hole resulting in a bogey, the seven-time winner of the Race to Dubai poured in 11 birdies throughout his Friday trip to post a 63, bringing his total score to 11 under par.
These 11 birdies marked a fresh career high for McIlroy in a single eighteen-hole effort on the DP World Tour.
“My overall execution was strong once more. I drove accurately, struck my iron shots cleanly, and rolled the ball slightly better,” remarked McIlroy. “I finally witnessed some putts dropping, a sight that had eluded me over the preceding few months. I claimed runner-up honors at Wentworth, feeling that sinking just a few more attempts over the weekend would have secured the victory. My putting was poor in India, but after spending time with Brad Faxon last week, I believe my stroke is in a superior place. There were undoubtedly promising indications on the putts I hit today.”
McIlroy’s spectacular 63 arrived just 24 hours following a two-shot infraction assessed against him for altering his lie on the 12th hole (par 4). Having initially recorded a double bogey, the world’s second-ranked golfer was compelled to adjust his hole score to an eight upon final confirmation of the penalty, ultimately finishing his opening round at 2-under 70.
“Prior to departing the facility, I had accepted the situation,” explained McIlroy. “I refrained from brooding over it, nor did I believe I committed an intentional infraction. Nevertheless, I acknowledged that the zoomed-in video replay looked unfavorable. I simply refused to leave room for negative assumptions or give anyone cause to think I evaded punishment.
“I really couldn’t bear having that hang over me. Consequently, I felt satisfied—I would far prefer taking a two-stroke penalty than being labeled a cheater. Thus, I accepted the outcome and moved forward. It allowed me to step onto the course today with a clear mind, a clean conscience, and total focus on my game.”
Owing to his standing in the Race to Dubai, McIlroy spent his opening round paired with the pair leading the season-long points list: frontrunner Eugenio Chacarra and long-time rival Patrick Reed. Both Reed and Chacarra have struggled to find top form, with the American currently standing at 1 over par overall, while the 26-year-old pacesetter sits at 3 under after posting consecutive scores of 70 and 71.
