Aaron Rai Clinches Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Dramatic Playoff Showdown Versus Tommy Fleetwood
Aaron Rai demonstrated remarkable nerve to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the final day, defeating his compatriot in a tense playoff following a rollercoaster last day of competition.
Rai nailed a crucial birdie putt from around eight feet to clinch the win, echoing his sole prior tournament success at the 2020 Scottish Open, which was likewise a playoff victory over Fleetwood.
Sunday's Play Drama
The champion started the final round with a single stroke advantage over fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Denmark’s Højgaard. He finished with a overall score of twenty-under after a topsy-turvy, 67 closing round that included seven birdies and two bogeys.
The challenger moved a stroke ahead with the 16th and 17th remaining after a birdie on the sixteenth, but his rival tied it up again on the seventeenth and then failed to convert a ten-foot birdie putt to claim victory on the final hole.
Play-Off Climax
This set up a playoff at Yas Links where the eventual winner prevailed to claim the title and $1.5m (£1.13m) in winnings.
{“Tommy is a world-class player and an even more individual. To play with him the final two rounds was really special,” said Rai, the current 30th-ranked player globally. “You’re so concentrated on your game and staying in the zone, it’s difficult to put into words at the moment how it is. It is incredible to be stood here.”
Other Contenders
The Northern Irish star left himself just too much to make up, finishing a stroke short in a tie for third with Højgaard, after a spectacular 10-under final round of ten-under. It was McIlroy’s lowest-ever round on the European Tour, comprising eight birdies and one eagle.
Højgaard fired six birdie putts of his own, but his hopes of leading the leaderboard were dented by a bogey on the twelfth. English golfer Richard Mansell produced an excellent final-round 63 to end up tied for fifth with Australia’s Daniel Hillier.