Scrivener leads players with best Rolex Series finishes in Abu Dhabi

Jason Scrivener was atop a list of players who started off the new season by earning their best Rolex Series finishes to date with top 10s at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

An impressive back nine saw Scrivener finish as the runner up to Tyrrell Hatton and in the process earn a career-best finish on the European Tour, while David Lipsky, Fabrizio Zanotti and Chris Paisley all recorded their highest finish in a Rolex Series event.

Jason Scrivener: 2nd (-14)

The closest Jason Scrivener had come to the top of the leaderboard in a European Tour event prior to this week was third –the most recent of which came during the 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player (also a Rolex Series event).

This week however, Scrivener proved that his decision to start working with performance coach Dave Alred over the past few months has paid off as he reaped the rewards of consistency with four under par rounds in the Middle East.

"He's been a game changer for me," he said of Alred. "Really taught me, we sat down probably two months before Christmas at the end of my season last year and he's really helped me a lot and pushed me that bit extra to work harder."

During the final day, the 31-year-old matched Chris DiMarco’s low back nine score (29) to join the history books of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with an eagle and five birdies.

Added to a front nine 37, Scrivener’s six-under 66 was the joint lowest round of the day and also took him to 14 under par, finishing in solo second place for the first time in his European Tour career.

David Lipsky: T5 (-11)

David Lipsky is a two-time winner on the European Tour thanks to victories at the 2014 Omega European Masters and the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship, but this week in Abu Dhabi saw him record his first top ten in a Rolex Series event.  

The American, who was making his first start on Tour since the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, ensured his season began brilliantly with rounds of 72, 66, 68 and 71 to finish in a tie for fifth with Marc Warren on 11 under par.

Lipsky began his final round with two birdies in his first four holes before an impressive up and down for bogey at the sixth, but a wayward tee shot that landed next to a tree at the 10th gave him too much ground to make up over Tyrrell Hatton. However, an impressive bounce-back included two further birdies at the 12th and 14th holes, before he parred his way in to guarantee his first top-five since the 2019 Volvo China Open.

Fabrizio Zanotti: T7 (-10)

Fabrizio Zanotti ensured a fast start to the 2021 season after recording his second-ever top 10 in a Rolex Series event - and first since a tie for eighth at the 2017 Turkish Airlines Open.

The two-time European Tour winner had played just 11 events and finished at 141st on the Race to Dubai standings in 2020, but his performance in Abu Dhabi this week has already seen him match his best result of last season – a tie for seventh at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

The highlight was undoubtedly a bogey-free six-under 66 during the opening day’s play, which he followed with rounds of 71 and 72 before carding a solid 69 to finish the week on 10 under par.

Zanotti opened the final day with back-to-back birdies before breaking a run of 11 straight pars with a dropped shot at the 14th. He recovered quickly with a birdie on the 16th, before closing with a final-hole birdie to guarantee his place on the leaderboard alongside English trio Matt Wallace, Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Paisley.

Chris Paisley

Making his first start on the European Tour since teeing up in Cyprus in November, Chris Paisley made this most of his week in Abu Dhabi by recording his highest ever finish in a Rolex Series event and second top ten – the other a tie for ninth at the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Paisley, who ranked third for scrambling last season, proved how important saving shots were this week, dropping just five shots in four rounds and ranking inside the top 10 for bogeys, scrambling and strokes gained putting in Abu Dhabi.

He began the week with rounds of 72 and 68, and added back-to-back rounds of 69 over the weekend to finish in a tie for seventh on 10 under.