If you think Pro Golf is in its offsuason, then you must not be up early enough to watch the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week. On Sunday, fans in attendance were treated to a heavyweight bout with two phyder cup stars: reigning Pomplers Roun McOroy and world no. 5 Tommy Fleetwood.
But, in the end, it was another European Pro left out of the 2025 age group that was there: Aaron Rai.
Rory McIlroy made an EPIC Sunday offense in Abu Dhabi
Sunday’s final round of the YAS links was set to be a grudge match between rai and fleetwood.
Fleetwood is hot on the heels of victories at the Tour Championship and last month’s DP World Univerqhaon. He also starred in the European Cup Win at Bethpage Black.
Rai, who comforts England, failed to find another chosen by European captain Luke Captain after finishing 15th in the European Ryder Cup standings.
The players tied for the lead after the second round, when Rai made a stunning albatross on the par-5 md hole. In Round 3, the rai raised each ship to lead to the final round.
On the other hand, McIlroy, on the other hand, was unlikely to be a thing. Although he shot Saturday to 14 under, that left him six shots off the lead over Rai on a course where everyone else was going low.
But the fifth-time super hero didn’t back down. Instead, he flashed the lesson before Rai and Fleetwood could even begin again.
McIlroy birdied the 1st, then bogeyed the par-5 2nd to move to 17 under, a three-putt bogey.
He then put himself in par nines, making five straight birdies from holes 10-14 to add to the leaderboard. When it was over, McIlroy shot an impressive 10-under 62 to tie the lead at 24 under.
But with rai and fleetwood still there with a few holes left to play, it wouldn’t be enough to give Mcroy the title.
Aaron Rai records Tommy Fleetwood in Playoff after clutch birdies
With MICLOY ON THE ROAD 24 under, rai and fleetwood would need to be full to be in with a chance of taking home the medal.
When Shayood had a bogey on the 12th and rai bogeyed the 14th, suddenly the fumbers were joined at 4 under, with rai two back at 23 under.
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Both players birdied the 16-year-old, and Fleetwood jumped ahead of mlcroy by one. On the PAR-3 17th hole, both players make long putts. But Fleetwood was to save par. Rai took out his putt for birdie, hiding his scores at 25 under heading into the 18th hole.
There’s a lot on the line in the closing hole. Bogeys for the two leaders will force a four-man playoff with McCroy and Nicolai Hojgaard. A birdie for either would give them the win.
Fleetwood and Rai could only manage pars on the 72nd hole, so they went back to the 18th Tee in sudden-death play. In the second round, Rai hit a mid-range birdie to finally win the boat and claim the win.
It was DP’s first ever DP World Tour win, and it also propelled him to the top of the standings in Dubai, thus earning him a spot in the DP World Tour Charving Week.
It is interesting that CANI’s RAI’s World DP World came through open Scotland, where he beat the ships in playinff.
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