New Golf in Dubai event sees Andy Sullivan jump into opening-round lead

Andy Sullivan birdied four of the first five holes and then each of the final four en route to a 61 to lead the Golf in Dubai Championship.

A new event on the European Tour has its first-ever leader.

Andy Sullivan, a four-time Euro Tour winner, put together some incredible bookends — he birdied four of the first five holes and then each of the final four — in firing a 61 to take the first-round lead at the Golf in Dubai Championship.

The event is taking place at the Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Fire Course this week and has a handful of recognizable names in the field, including former World No. 1 Martin Kaymer and 2016 Masters champ Danny Willett.

Believe it or not, even with no bogeys on the day, Sullivan might still be thinking about the one that got away. The Englishman just missed a short putt on No. 18 for a 60 that would have marked his best professional round. He managed a 61 in 2016 at the Portugal Masters, although that course was a par 71.

Golf in Dubai Championship: Leaderboard

A trio of players — Antonie Rozner, Matt Wallace and Ross Fisher — all sit two strokes behind Sullivan while Kaymer and Robert McIntyre are T-12, five shots off the lead.

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