Aaron Rai Secures Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Dramatic Playoff Battle Versus Fellow Englishman Fleetwood
Aaron Rai displayed remarkable nerve to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, defeating Tommy Fleetwood in a tense playoff after a topsy-turvy final round of competition.
Rai nailed a decisive birdie putt from just over eight foot to clinch the win, echoing his only previous Rolex Series success at the 2020 Scottish Open, which was also a play-off win over Fleetwood.
Final Round Drama
Rai started the final round with a one-shot lead over fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard. He finished with a total score of twenty-under after a up-and-down, 67 final round that included seven birdie putts and a pair of bogeys.
The challenger moved a stroke ahead with two holes to play after a birdie putt on the sixteenth, but Rai pulled level again on the 17th and then missed a ten-foot birdie putt to win outright on the final green.
Playoff Climax
That set up a playoff at the Yas Links course where the eventual winner triumphed to claim the championship and $1.5m (£1.13 million) in prize money.
{“Tommy is a world-class golfer and an even more individual. To play with him the final two rounds was really special,” stated the winner, the present 30th-ranked player globally. “You’re so focused on your game and staying in the zone, it’s difficult to describe at the moment how it is. It is amazing to be holding the trophy.”
Other Performances
The Northern Irish star found himself a bit too far to do, coming up a stroke behind in a tie for third with Højgaard, after a spectacular 62 closing round of 62. It was his lowest-ever round on the DP World Tour, comprising eight birdie putts and an eagle.
The Danish golfer fired six birdie putts of his own, but his hopes of topping the leaderboard were dented by a dropped shot on the twelfth. England’s Mansell produced an superb last round seven-under to end up in a tie for fifth place with Australian Daniel Hillier.
