Aaron Rai held his nerve to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after beating Tommy Fleetwood on the first play-off hole.
The 30-year-old sunk a birdie from just over eight feet to emulate his only previous Rolex Series win at the 2020 Scottish Open – which was also a play-off win over Fleetwood.
Rai went into the final round with a one-shot lead over Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard, and emerged with a total of 263 after a topsy-turvy, five-under final round that included seven birdies and two bogeys.
He missed a 10-foot putt to win it on the last and see off Fleetwood, who had moved one shot clear with two to play after a birdie on the 16th, but ultimately had to settle for parity after a six-under final round of 66.
Rory McIlroy left himself just too much to do, coming up one shot short in a tie for third place with Hojgaard, after a stunning 10-under final round of 62, comprising eight birdies and an eagle – his lowest ever round on the DP World Tour.
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Hojgaard fired six birdies but his hopes of topping the leaderboard were hit by a bogey on the 12th. England’s Richard Mansell hit an excellent final round 63 to finish tied for fifth place with Australia’s Daniel Hillier.
After his win, Rai said: “It’s hard to sum up. I think you’re just so focused on playing the round and obviously just trying to stay in your zone. It’s hard to put into words at the moment how this feels or how I’m going to reflect on it.
“But it’s just amazing to be stood here. Tommy is a phenomenal player. He’s an even better person than he is a player and that says a lot.
“To play with him the last two days and be out there with him was really special. So yeah, amazing to be here.”
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What’s next?
The DP World Tour Play-Offs conclude with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai live on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from November 13 at 7am.
