Aaron Rai Clinches Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Dramatic Play-Off Battle Versus Tommy Fleetwood
The 30-year-old golfer displayed exceptional composure to secure the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, beating his compatriot in a tense play-off following a topsy-turvy final round of competition.
Rai nailed a decisive birdie from around eight foot to seal the win, echoing his sole prior tournament success at the 2020 Scottish Open, which was also a play-off win over the same opponent.
Sunday's Play Excitement
Rai entered the final round with a one-shot lead over countryman Fleetwood and Danish golfer Nicolai Højgaard. He ended up with a total score of 263 after a up-and-down, five-under final round that included seven birdie putts and a pair of bogeys.
The challenger edged a stroke clear with the 16th and 17th remaining after a birdie on the sixteenth, but his rival tied it up again on the 17th and then failed to convert a 10-foot birdie putt to win outright on the final hole.
Play-Off Climax
That led to a playoff at the Yas Links course where the eventual winner triumphed to claim the championship and $1.5 million (£1.13 million) in prize money.
{“Tommy is a world-class golfer and an even better individual. To compete alongside him the final two rounds was really special,” stated the winner, the current world No 30. “You’re so concentrated on playing the round and staying in the zone, it’s hard to describe at the present how it is. It is incredible to be holding the trophy.”
Other Performances
The Northern Irish star left himself just too much to make up, coming up a stroke short in a shared third place with Højgaard, after a stunning 62 final round of ten-under. It was his best-ever round on the DP World Tour, including eight birdies and an eagle.
Højgaard fired six birdies of his own, but his hopes of leading the leaderboard were hit by a bogey on the 12th. England’s Mansell hit an superb final-round 63 to end up in a tie for fifth place with Australia’s Daniel Hillier.
