Aaron Rai may be among the most polite and unassuming of professional golfers but he showed nerves of steel to pip Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
The 30-year-old from Wolverhampton had agonisingly missed a 10ft putt for victory on the final hole of regulation play in a drama-laden conclusion at Yas Links, but he recomposed himself on the par-five 18th and a birdie denied Fleetwood his third win in five starts. Despite a spectacular round of 62, Rory McIlroy was forced to settle for a share of third with Nicolai Hojgaard.
It was a thrilling duel befitting the penultimate event of the DP World Tour season. Rai had taken a one-shot lead into the final round but Fleetwood, who is arguably the most in-form player in the world after ending his duck in the United States at the Tour Championship in August before top-scoring at the Ryder Cup, followed an opening birdie with an eagle to take the ascendancy.
Rai responded with four consecutive birdies before the turn but a poor putt at the 14th handed the momentum back to Fleetwood. By then McIlroy, who had started some six shots back, had also surged firmly into contention and posted the clubhouse lead at 24 under, but Rai rose to the pressure and birdied the 16th and 17th to set up arguably the biggest victory of his career.
Rai’s win over Fleetwood banks him a cheque for £1.2m and a rise to about No23 in the world rankings
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That the Englishman was able to hold off two giants of European golf will also serve as something of a consolation prize after Rai was overlooked for a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team in New York, as will a cheque for £1.2million. The one-time PGA Tour winner and 2020 Scottish Open champion is projected to move to No23 in the world rankings and was magnanimous in victory.
“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’s hard 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 standing here,” Rai said.
“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.”
McIlroy ultimately left himself too much ground to recover but a blistering final round inched him decisively closer to the seventh order of merit title that would leave him only one short of Colin Montgomerie’s record.
McIlroy has a commanding rankings lead before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship
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The Northern Irishman made the turn in 32 after a birdie-eagle start before a monstrous drive at the 386-yard 10th trickled over the back of the green, sparking a run of five successive birdies. A closing birdie briefly propelled McIlroy into the lead and a ten-under-par round of 62 (Rai and Fleetwood shot 67 and 66 respectively) was his lowest on the DP World Tour.
“Obviously, I ended up one short but it was a great day of golf and a great way to end the week,” McIlroy said. “And, more importantly, it is a great way to go into next week. I just tried to keep my foot down and make as many birdies as possible knowing that, OK, I’m trying to win this tournament but also to give myself the biggest cushion possible going into Dubai.”
McIlroy will take a commanding lead over Marco Penge, who closed with a 63 to finish ninth, into the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Penge must finish no lower than second to have a chance of beating McIlroy to the Harry Vardon Trophy, with Tyrrell Hatton’s 41st-place finish all but ensuring it is a two-horse race.