Rory McIlroy’s Lowest Round EVER on Tour | 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Rory McIlroy shot his lowest career round ever on the DP World Tour during Round 4 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to put pressure on Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai. It was a bogey-free final round which included eight birdies and an eagle.

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The DP World Tour Play-Offs get under way this week with a stellar field assembled at Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. After 40 events across five continents and 27 countries covering five Global Swings and the Back 9 we have reached the DP World Tour Play-Offs. We have so far seen 35 different winners, with 19 lifting a DP World Tour trophy for the first time. Race to Dubai Rankings leader McIlroy arrives at Yas Links looking for a seventh Harry Vardon Trophy and fourth in a row but he may well not have it all his own way in the UAE. Three-time winner this season Marco Penge is his nearest challenger and it’s very much game on. McIlroy may take the headlines but with all of the top 18 in the Race to Dubai Rankings and 66 of the top 70 on display, he will have to overcome an elite field to finally get his hands on the trophy at an event where he has nine top threes from 13 appearances. Seven of his Ryder Cup team-mates tee it up including Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre, both of whom are also currently in the top ten on the Official World Golf Ranking. It’s All To Play For.

Welcome to the Official YouTube channel of the DP World Tour. Every week you can find extended tournament highlights and individual player highlights from the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood. This is also the home of the 14 Club Challenge, Little Interviews, Fastest Hole and many more challenges, pranks and world record attempts featuring the biggest golfers in the world.

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Bottle speed normally up about 188. Yeah, there you go. 189 [Applause] can at least be 10 mph shorter than that. Oh, it sounded nice. Oh, lovely. As you’d expect. Well, why don’t you go in? Nice. It thought about it, didn’t it? He has been quick out of the gates himself this week. Maroy, it’s been the closing stretch that’s played him. That is more of the same. Think he likes it. Quick down for the tea. number. Yeah, you kind of get the feeling, Laura, if if he likes, you know, that kind of drive or the confidence that’s going to give him, then uh the field better watch out. Yeah, I’m with you on that. Yeah. Yeah. Beautifully controlled. And this will get better and better. And a chance for him to vault to 17 under. What a perfect start he’s had so far. Two beauties at one, two beauties at two. Great chance for Maroy to get to three under for his day through two. I mean, Wayne Riley talks about it all the time, but Brad Faxton has really helped Maroy unlock his skills on the green and take advantage of the quality of the long game. Not a lot behind it. threads the needle through three downhill little from the left. Think he shoved it. Yeah, you could hear him laughing. Yeah, an early reaction there. He probably thought like I’ve got a feeling that’s going to move a bit more than I think when it did. This needs height. It’s a tight pin. Short left. There’s a lot of slopes around this. You are kidding me. Now the par four thought. This is quick. So trying to use elevation and contours. That’s what he was trying to pitch at the first time round. Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit. Would you believe? Sit. Sit. I was thinking the same thing, Andrew. I like who makes a two from there. Just a threewood for position. Nothing fancy. Yeah, just clubbing back. We have seen him send it down. Said about 120. It’s 25. Need to have eyes on this. Oh, it’s just got the bat bounce, but that’s going to come back. That’s going to come back to approximately 5 ft. Reward for the aggressiveness here. Buddy for Rory. Don’t know what that was all about. Yeah, got that one all wrong. That wasn’t even a push. A chance to unleash a tight left. Right. Okay. That’s right. anywhere but short left. Yes, it’s the difficult flag to find from where he is. I mean, you see that he’s just playing the safe route on the right hand side and it’s bringing the ball the ball nicely in. Couldn’t really do much more there. Rora Mroy bit position off the tea. long range, left to right parts. I mean, a couple of holes ago, Marco Pench was behind Maroy Maroy. Now he’s ahead Rory Maroy. This is building up nicely. Yeah, such a clever second shot, wasn’t it? Out of position. Didn’t try the miracle shot. Put it in a good spot. Makes his part. Yeah, that looks about perfect. Maybe leaking a little right. Oh, that’s perfect from Maroy. Absolutely perfect. Long way down. It’s about 20 paces past that yellow mark in the middle of the fairway. Can’t go right. All right. All right. I just came over the top of that a little bit. That’s going to get kicked off that nice slope. It’s okay now. Outside chance of an eagle for Rory Maroy on seven. Not huge. Now start drifting. Oh, good try. Back right pin on a shelf. Oh my god. Came over the top of it the last second. Don’t go right. Playing safe. Right hand on top. W. That’s going to leave something pretty dy. Eight. He’s got some undulations to deal with here. So the pace is key. Maybe just a little bit longer than it looks from there as well. Sit. Sit. Yeah. Just a little right over the top of the clubhouse there. I think it’s okay, Paul. Yeah. Sort of fell right of the bunker. Still falling right of the bunker. It’s never bad having Rory Maroy on the front page of the leaderboard either here at nine. [Music] A little strong, you’d have to say quite a lot from that range. Just a sandwiched not easy to lay this stone dead. the benefits of a a beautiful tempo within the stroke. There was no hurry in the transition there. Well, Penge drove it earlier on today when he made his two hit to just over 20 ft. Knocked the pod in. Oh, goodness me. He’s floating it there. Explain that to me. Has he flown that there? I can’t. Yeah. Longest drive of the week. Oh, you’ve left it short. Oh, 393 was there at 10. Good view of this. Want this to land just short it right over the top. Oh, he’s used the back slope beautifully. Come on, keep coming. There’s a good chance. We saw the shot in from Rory. Now down the hill. A little dribbler inside the hole and in. Very well done. That puts him ahead of Marco Penge now. Can probably pop it straight over that bunker. Not going to worry about the carry. For me, I mortals. It’s not doable, but for him it’s quite easy. And that’s Miles down there for he who is in search of his seventh race to Dubai title. He’s got to start running the tables now. This will be a great start. Perfect position. 114. Go on. Spin to the hole. Yeah, that’s not bad. Good. distance right over to his direct competitor for that he can go one ahead of him again with this down the hill now it’s going to be I was going to say just low but just caught enough of the edge perfection he’s on a charge Laura He most certainly is as you’d expect. Sometimes you do lo learn those lessons the hard way. Mroy for a chance which he takes. It is a fullcourt press from the chasing pack at the moment here in Abu Dhabi. Done very well to push his way in here. Maroy, another great chance just shy of 120. Interesting. He decided to lay up to D and 14. Yeah, absolutely. And paying dividends right there. He’s going to hit his wedges that close. He might have thought about doing that. Absolutely. Golden opportunity to get within one. And he does. The wall’s number two. I don’t know what way means any of the time, Andrew, but I’m guessing he means that when you see his name, it means something different to the others, I suppose. Laura. Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s what he was trying to tell us. Now the cameraman’s got to move right. There’s Rory’s ball. Um, yes. He’s a strange little fellow, isn’t he? Walks the fairways and confuses us all. It’s really not a lot left either. He was looking at it like he loved it, but he was what 8 10 ft in carry distance out. One skip. Skip and check. Not quite as saucy, but pretty decent. [Music] Crucial save. It was an error. Sure. Misjudgment with the second, but could easily have led to a five. Keeps his hopes alive. Looks perfect for old Marco Pen. Put in a 63 to put some pressure on him for the overall and he’s just responded. He’s nine under at the moment himself. Probably going to beat him. Trying to hit one in close. He’s trying to push it off the left. Slightly awkward. You see right hand wrapping over trying to turn it back into it a little. Ever so slightly overdone but still decent opportunity for a three. No to be a nander for his day. His pup went past begging it to stop. He needn’t have bothered. very comfortable with these. Holds up beautifully now from inside six feet. It’s a little bit longer than that. It says in the yardage there. We’ve got 204 on information that we’ve been given and trying to drill it in there low back left pin position. Chasing it up the green and doing a fine job of it to join the lead. didn’t trust his line. Oh, it’s a familiar story though in this final stretch, isn’t it? The the birdies are few and far between. 18’s a different story, of course, but 15, 16, 17. Unleash one on the left of the bunker. It’s a low bullet. Looking for the low raking draw. Didn’t quite get it turning up and down to match the lead. Get in the hole. He really is a marvel around the greens. As good as anyone. And that’s his favorite. Never say never. We said at the start of the day, Rory, super Sunday here in Abu Dhabi. 62 is your low round of the year of this week here at the tournament. Talk us through that remarkable day. Yeah. Um, you know, I I got off to a really good start. You know, I was three under through two. Um, you know, hit two great shots into the first, two great shots into the second, converted. Um, and then stalled a little bit in the front nine. I buried the the seventh to get the four under. So, I’ve played the front nine very well this week and then it was on the back nine that I I couldn’t really get anything going, but you know, I I started the back nine with I think five birdies in a row. Drove it onto the 10th green again and, you know, I hit a couple of really good wedges in that stretch and um, you know, knocked them in. So yeah, once I was nine under through 14, I thought, okay, if I could, you know, post a number here. Um, you know, I knew 15, 16, 17 were playing tough back into the wind off the left. I thought I hit I did hit a good wed shot in 15, it just got caught by the wind a bit. Um, and then 16 and 17, I mean, I watched the way Aaron and Tommy played those two holes and, you know, they played them unbelievably well. Um, and yeah, it’s just it’s hard to make birdies on those holes. And, you know, I knew on 18, you know, at least post and, you know, the one thing I said to Harry walking off the green is, well, at least we’re going to make them earn it no matter what happens. So, um, you know, obviously ended up on short, but um, great day of golf and, um, you know, a great way to end the week and also a great way to to sort of go into next week into Dubai as well. Yeah, I was going to mention that cuz Marco had an amazing day, a bit like you, funnily enough. How much were you like leaderboard watching not just for this tournament but also watching Marco as well because he was making the run. Yeah, he was um I saw um yeah I saw he really got it going at the the start of the back nine there. Um and yeah, I saw he was at like 20 under and then I think he dropped back and then he birdied the last. So yeah, I just, you know, I just tried to keep my foot down and and make as many birdies as possible, knowing that, okay, I’m trying to win this tournament, but then also trying to give myself the biggest cushion possible going into Dubai next week as well. How much you looking forward to it? It’s a place you you clearly love. Yeah, I I I I really like that golf course. It it really suits me. Um probably suits me a little bit better than this course does this week, just in terms of what you need to do off the tea and and into the greens. So yeah, look, this was a a great confidence builder this week coming off a couple weeks off and um you know, hopefully just produce more of the same uh next Thursday and and onwards. Fantastic week, Rory. Good luck in Dubai. Thanks very much.