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European Tour pro successfully escapes a garbage dump(?!) on way to shooting course record
The European Tour is arguably the most innovative organization in golf, trying out everything from shot clocks to night golf to even a rooftop tee box in recent years. But the tour has outdone itself with a landfill hole at this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. That's right, a landfill hole. Although, we're guessing it wasn't part of the course's original design.
Thanks to SB Nation's Brendan Porath for catching this odd scene on the fifth hole during Shane Lowry's opening round:
Is there anything in the new rules of golf about what kind of drop you get from discarded patio furniture? Wild stuff in Abu Dhabi.
So how did this happen? SB Nation's James Dator points out the fifth hole of Abu Dhabi Golf Club is on the perimeter of the property, but still. Even if there's a garbage dump circling the golf course, you'd think they'd clean it up a little better for some of the best golfers in the world.
Anyway, it didn't bother the Irishman, who shall henceforth be known as Landfill Lowry (Sorry, Shane). The three-time European Tour winner managed a par and went on to post a bogey-free 62 to take the early lead and tie Henrik Stenson's course record. This despite Lowry acknowledging how wild he was off the tee:
Four fairways and one landfill while shooting 10 under. We're going to guess that's a first. On any tour.
UPDATE: It looks like Lowry wasn't the only golfer dealing with garbage on Day 1 in Abu Dhabi:
Can we get a cleanup on hole 5, please?