Laporta Fires 62 to Set Early Pace at Abu Dhabi Championship

Francesco Laporta has set the early pace at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, firing a 10-under-par 62 in Thursday's opening round at Yas Links to take the clubhouse lead in the DP World Tour's playoff opener. The Italian, who teed off in the morning wave, put together a flawless-looking card to move three clear of the chasing pack. Jon Rahm, playing in the group behind, signed for a seven-under 65, and England's Sam Bairstow matched him to share second place, with Matthew Jordan a further shot back on six under. Laporta's 62 is a statement in an event where scoring has exploded in recent years, and it puts immediate pressure on the men fighting for the Race to Dubai title. The headline group of Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed and Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra teed off last in the day's draw and were still out on the course as Laporta's lead stood, so the leaderboard may yet change before the round is complete. The stakes could hardly be higher. With a $9 million purse, $1.5 million for the winner and 9,000 Race to Dubai points on offer, only the top 50 after Sunday move on to next week's season finale in Dubai. Laporta, meanwhile, will simply enjoy a day when everything clicked.