ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Fine, but unimaginative.
That was Rory McIlroy's view of his new swing, which he tried out for the first time competitively in shooting 5-under 67 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday.
It left the No. 3-ranked McIlroy five shots off the lead held by Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood in the first event of the European tour playoffs.
Seeking a victory that can clinch a sixth year-long Race to Dubai title, McIlroy returned to competitive action after a month away — most of which he spent shut away in a studio hitting balls against a screen in search of a more robust swing that can hold up in pressure-filled moments.
McIlroy didn't make too many mistakes in his first round, save for pushing his tee shot on the par-3 17th and failing to get up and down for par. That was his only bogey, while he made six birdies — including a tap-in at the last.
“It felt OK,” said McIlroy, looking rather unimpressed. "I've gotten comfortable doing this little rehearsal before I take the club back. It felt fine. I probably wasn’t as imaginative out there — I was hitting very straight shots.
“I hit a couple where I didn’t see the picture of what I was trying to do with the ball flight because I was thinking a little too much about what I was doing with the swing.”
McIlroy said the lack of wind and the generous size of the fairways at Yas Links made his task easier and allowed him to focus on his modified swing.
“I am quite fortunate that it’s a nice week to come back,” he said.
Fleetwood — the next highest-ranked player in the reduced 70-man field at No. 10 — was more in the zone, making eight birdies to go with an eagle at the par-5 second hole in a bogey-free round of 10-under 62. The Englishman took the solo lead for the first time by rolling in a birdie putt from 10 feet at No. 18.
Fleetwood was a stroke clear of Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark and Johannes Veerman of the United States, with Tyrrell Hatton — a LIV Golf player — in a share of fourth place after shooting 64 with Laurie Canter, Paul Waring and Francesco Laporta.
McIlroy, who was in a tie for 18th, has a huge lead in the Race to Dubai standings and can win what was formerly the Order of Merit title with an event to spare with a victory in Abu Dhabi. That would take some suspense out of the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai next week.
McIlroy has finished a season as the European No. 1 five times and can tie the late Seve Ballesteros with a sixth. Colin Montgomerie has a record eight.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits out of the seventh fairway during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament passed a law early Thursday that would allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers, including the country’s own citizens, to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or other locations.
The law, which was championed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and his far-right allies, passed with a 61-41 vote. But legal experts said that any attempt to implement it would likely lead to it being struck down by Israeli courts.
It would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of annexed east Jerusalem who knew about their family members' attacks beforehand or who “express support or identification with the act of terrorism.”
They would be deported, either to the Gaza Strip or another location, for a period of seven to 20 years. The Israel-Hamas war is still raging in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and most of the population has been internally displaced, often multiple times.
It was unclear if it would apply in the occupied West Bank, where Israel already has a long-standing policy of demolishing the family homes of attackers. Palestinians have carried out scores of stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks against Israelis in recent years.
Oded Feller, a legal adviser to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, dismissed the law as “populist nonsense.” He said it was unlikely to be applied, because there is no legal way for the Interior Ministry to send an Israeli citizen to another country or to Gaza.
His organization doesn't plan to challenge the law unless authorities try to enforce it, in which case he expects any court challenge to succeed.
Eran Shamir-Borer, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former international law expert for the Israeli military, agreed that the law was likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court.
He said that if a resident of east Jerusalem was deported under the law, it could be seen by many in the international community as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, because they view the area as occupied territory, although Israel doesn't.
The deportation of an Israeli citizen could be seen not only as a violation of their constitutional rights under Israeli law, but also as a breach of their human rights under international law, he said. The law could also be seen as a form of collective punishment and as discriminatory, because it appears to only apply to Arab citizens and residents, and not to family members of Jews convicted under terrorism laws.
“The bottom line is this is completely nonconstitutional and a clear conflict to Israel’s core values,” Shamir-Borer said.
Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war — territories the Palestinians want for their future state. It withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005, but has reoccupied parts of the territory since Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023 triggered the war.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most of the international community. Palestinians there have permanent residency and are allowed to apply for citizenship, but most choose not to, and those who do face a series of obstacles.
Palestinians living in Israel make up around 20% of the country's population. They have citizenship and the right to vote but face widespread discrimination. Many also have close family ties to those in the territories and most sympathize with the Palestinian cause.
Melanie Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Tia Goldenberg contributed to this report from Tel Aviv.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, speaks to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the "Iron Swords" war, in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, flanked by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, second from left, attends at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the "Iron Swords" war, in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the "Iron Swords" war, in Jerusalem, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)
