Aaron Rai captured his second Rolex Series title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, defeating fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off at the end of a gripping final round.
Starting the day ahead, Rai soon found himself chasing after Fleetwood made a rapid move into the lead.
Rai responded with four consecutive birdies on the outward nine, but the momentum swung between the two players throughout a dramatic closing day.
The climax intensified late on, with Rai holing birdies at the 16th and 17th to draw level again as the duo approached the final hole.
Although Rai narrowly missed a winning putt on the 18th in regulation play, he converted a composed birdie on the first play-off hole to seal his third victory on the DP World Tour.
Rai’s closing score of 67 included seven birdies and two dropped shots, taking him to 25 under. Fleetwood posted a bogey-free 66, highlighted by an eagle and four birdies, to force the decider.
Rory McIlroy produced the round of the day with a ten-under 62 to share third spot with Nicolai Højgaard, one shot behind the top two. Daniel Hillier and Richard Mansell finished on 22 under par.
Rai had entered the week needing a strong result to progress to the DP World Tour Championship, sitting 55th in the season standings. His victory now guarantees his place in Dubai next week.
Reflecting on the achievement, 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’shard 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.”
Describing how he regained composure after a missed short putt on the 14th, he added: “My caddie Jason (Timmis) was great. Because it was a little bit of a shock to the system really on the 14th, missing a short putt there.
“He was great, just telling me to stay present and just focusing on playing the next shots and trying to finish strong. Made a really good up-and-down on the 15th which really helped.
“Made a nice putt there which certainly gave a little bit of confidence moving forward. That was an important moment. And yeah, it was nice to finish off strongly over the last few holes as well.”
The prize presentation was conducted by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, alongside key representatives of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Emirates Golf Federation, HSBC, the DP World Tour and Mohamed Rasool Khoory & Sons.
Fans can register for the pre-sale to the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship from tomorrow by clicking here.
