Aaron Rai Clinches Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Dramatic Playoff Battle Versus Tommy Fleetwood
The 30-year-old golfer demonstrated remarkable composure to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, beating Tommy Fleetwood in a dramatic play-off after a rollercoaster final round of competition.
The Englishman nailed a decisive birdie putt from around eight foot to clinch the win, repeating his sole prior tournament triumph at the 2020 Scottish Open, which was also a playoff win against the same opponent.
Sunday's Play Excitement
The champion entered the final round with a single stroke lead over countryman Fleetwood and Denmark’s Højgaard. He finished with a total score of 263 after a topsy-turvy, five-under closing round that featured seven birdie putts and two bogeys.
The challenger edged a stroke ahead with the 16th and 17th to play after a birdie on the 16th, but Rai pulled level again on the seventeenth and then missed a ten-foot birdie putt to win outright on the last hole.
Play-Off Decider
That led to a playoff at Yas Links where the eventual winner triumphed to claim the title and $1.5m (ÂŁ1.13m) in winnings.
{“Tommy is a world-class player and an even more individual. To play with him the last two days was truly memorable,” said Rai, the present 30th-ranked player globally. “You’re so concentrated on playing the round and staying in the zone, it’s hard to put into words at the present how it is. It is amazing to be stood here.”
Other Performances
Rory McIlroy found himself a bit too far to make up, finishing one shot behind in a tie for third with the Dane, after a spectacular 10-under final round of ten-under. It was McIlroy’s lowest-ever score on the DP World Tour, comprising eight birdies and one eagle.
Højgaard fired six birdies of his as well, but his hopes of leading the standings were hit by a dropped shot on the twelfth. English golfer Richard Mansell hit an superb final-round seven-under to finish tied for fifth with Australian Daniel Hillier.
