Aaron Rai defeats Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Nicolai von Dellingshausen qualifies for Dubai, while Marcel Schneider narrowly misses out.
The first playoff of the DP World Tour season concluded on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the United Arab Emirates. England’s Aaron Rai emerged victorious over compatriot Tommy Fleetwood. Rai surged ahead with four birdies on the front nine, offsetting a bogey on the 8th. On the back nine, he added three more birdies but dropped another shot on the 14th, finishing with a 67 and a total of 25-under-par.
Fleetwood delivered a bogey-free final round, highlighted by an eagle on the 2nd hole, carding a 66 to match Rai’s total. In the playoff, Rai secured the win with a birdie while Fleetwood settled for par. This marks Rai’s second career victory in a Rolex Series event.
The moment Aaron Rai beat Tommy Fleetwood in the first play-off hole to claim his second Rolex Series win 💪#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/XVA1Wt9IqC
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 9, 2025
Rai, who had not played since the BMW PGA Championship in September and started the week ranked 55th, earned 1,500 Race to Dubai points with his win. He jumped 46 spots to 9th place, securing a spot in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, reserved for the top 50 players. “It’s hard to describe,” said Rai, who embraced his father Amrik after the win. “You just try to stay in the flow and focus on the round. It’s difficult to put into words how this feels.”
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard and Northern Ireland’s Rory