IF RIVALRIES make sport, then the European Tour can count itself blessed to have Sergio Garcia and Pádraig Harrington, two world-class players whose professional respect for the other is tinged with more than a little personal antipathy.
Both, ranked second and third in the world, have made the trip to the Abu Dhabi Championship, and both produced a solid start in the opening round, Harrington signing for a one-under-par 71, Garcia edging to three under.
A freakish early-morning hailstorm delayed play by two hours and meant bad light brought an end to the Spaniard’s day on the 14th hole.
Suffice to say if the tournament organisers’ dreams come true, then this exalted pair will play together in Sunday’s final group.
If not, then they could do worse than stage a climax featuring Oliver Fisher and Rory McIlroy, prodigies who have carried an enduring, if entirely friendly, rivalry forged in the amateur ranks into the professional game.
McIlroy (19), has gained the early ascendancy despite joining the professional ranks a couple of years after his friend, turning youthful promise into staggering success by becoming the youngest professional to play his way into the world’s top 40 – an achievement that has earned him the status of youngest professional to earn a spot in the Masters.
Yet Fisher is hardly a slouch, having finished 51st on the tour’s Order of Merit last year. That constituted a terrific performance, although the 20-year-old Englishman is intent on soon joining McIlroy among the game’s elite.
His first tournament victory is another goal, and he signalled his ambition yesterday with a five-under 67, leaving him tied for third behind the joint leaders, Johan Edfors and Mikael Lundberg of Sweden.
More to the point, it gave Fisher a one-shot lead over Co Down’s McIlroy. “We always enjoy a bit of banter back and forth. I always look out for Rory,” Fisher said.
“I take inspiration from him getting into the world’s top-50; it drives me on,” he said. “Golf is one of those games where it happens quicker for some people, and for me, I’ve always had to learn. I have never been one of those players who have grasped something straight away. Rory is different. We all knew he was going to go out and burn it up straight away, but I’ll just go my own way, at my own pace.”
The pair spent last week practising together in Dubai and both had clearly benefited from the experience. Fisher managed six birdies over 18 holes, while McIlroy had five in 14 holes before he, like Garcia, had to retire to the clubhouse as darkness fell.
“I hit a lot of fairways and gave myself plenty of chances on the greens,” McIlroy said. “I am more than happy with the way I played.
“It is nice to continue my form from the end of last year,” McIlroy added. “I am usually a bit rusty in the first week. Ollie had a good round, so hopefully I can get up alongside him tomorrow. I feel like I’m really hitting it well, so we’ll see what happens.”
- Guardian Service
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)