Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2025 preview, picks & analysis

There are two incentives for the elite field at this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship at the magnificent Yas Links - winning the first of the DP World Tour’s playoffs and making it into the top 50 in the Race to Dubai in order to secure a place in the field for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

And of course, the star attraction is Rory McIlroy, who is odds-on to finish at the head of the Race to Dubai for a seventh time - just one short of Colin Montgormerie’s record.

McIlroy has enjoyed an outstanding season, winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Players Championship, the Irish Open and, of course, The Masters, which gave him the career grand slam. He was also the talisman for Europe as they defeated the USA at Bethpage Black to retain the Ryder Cup in such dramatic fashion. He was also fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the year.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first event of the DP World Tour’s end-of-season showpiece, leading straight into the DP World Tour Championship. The top 70 available players will gather in Abu Dhabi for the fourth Rolex Series event of the year as the season comes to a close.

McIlroy became the first European to win the career grand slam earlier this year when he added a Green Jacket to his four previous major victories at the 2011 US Open, the US PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and The Open in 2014, and he will look to clinch a fourth successive Race to Dubai title.

McIlroy said: "I love ending the season in the Middle East and I’m excited to return to Abu Dhabi again for the first of two big events later this year. I’ve got a good record at Yas Links so hopefully I can continue doing what I’m doing and give myself a chance of finishing the season strongly and having a shot of getting another Race to Dubai under my belt."

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

He will be joined in Abu Dhabi by fellow Ryder Cup players, including Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre.

MacIntyre has enjoyed a strong season worldwide, finishing second at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club and the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club, as well as tied seventh at The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. And he capped it all by winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on home soil.

MacIntyre said: "I really enjoy finishing the season in the Middle East and I’m looking forward to returning to Abu Dhabi for the first of two big events. With some good memories at Yas Links, I hope to keep that momentum going and give myself a chance to finish the season on a high."

Hatton, the 2019 Abu Dhabi Championship winner, returns following a runner-up finish at Yas Links last year. He currently sits third in the Race to Dubai Rankings following his win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and a tied-fourth result at the 2025 US Open.

"I’ve got some great memories from playing in the UAE, especially winning Abu Dhabi in 2019 and this year in Dubai," said Hatton. "Yas Island is an incredible destination with so much to see and do, and this tournament always has a fantastic atmosphere, so I’m looking forward to getting back to Abu Dhabi and kicking off the DP World Tour Play-Offs."

Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, has enjoyed a welcome resurgence after a couple of years in the doldrums and will seriously fancy his chances this week. The nine-time DP World Tour winner will be looking to build on his recent momentum, and is looking to add another Rolex Series title to his name.

"I’m really looking forward to returning to Abu Dhabi and getting the DP World Tour Play-Offs started," said Fitzpatrick. "Abu Dhabi is always a great place to play, and I hope to carry my recent form through and give myself a chance to have a strong end to the season."

But Tommy Fleetwood could well be the man to beat. He won the Tour Championship in magnificent style to land the FedEx Cup and end his victory drought on the PGA Tour, scored four points for Europe in the Ryder Cup and then won the India Championship to leap to 25th place in the Race to Dubai. 

The biggest surprise of the year for many has been the form of England’s Marco Penge. He had to hole a six-foot putt at the end of the 2024 season to keep his card and was then briefly suspended for betting violations. But he has since played like a man possessed and will be plying his trade on the PGA Tour next year, where I believe he could be a huge success. The American galleries will love his attacking style of play. He has won three times year - the Hainan Classic, the Danish Golf Championship and the Open de Espana, as well as finishing second at the Scottish Open, tied sixth at the British Masters and tied eighth at the European Masters. It is an impressive body of work and sees him breathing down McIlroy’s neck in the Race to Dubai. What a story it would be if he could pip the Masters champion.

Twelve months ago Paul Waring saw off the cream of Europe’s golfers with a sensational two-stroke victory at Yas Links.

It was just his second victory on the DP World Tour and he did it in style, with birdies at the final two holes to beat Hatton. Waring also had Matt Wallace, McIlroy, Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Thorbjorn Olesen nipping at his heels all day but was never passed. 

Waring leapt to fifth place in the Race to Dubai and secured a PGA Tour card for 2025. It was the stuff of dreams.

With tongue firmly in cheek, he said: “It was quite an easy day, wasn’t it? 

"It just means so much. To keep control of myself today in the way I did, I am so proud of myself. Holing a par save on the 15th was the key and the huge putt I holed for birdie on the 17th, I saw th Eline all the way and knew I was going to hole it. I was calm all day, although my legs were shaking over that final putt. It feels a bit like a dream but my game has been in a really good place for more than a year. I drove it well, hit some great iron shots and putted great.”

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2016 by Rickie Fowler, in 2017 and 2018 by Tommy Fleetwood, in 2019 by Shane Lowry, in 2020 by Lee Westwood, in 2021 by Tyrrell Hatton, in 2022 by Thomas Pieters, in 2023 by Victor Perez and last year by Paul Waring.

The Course:

Yas Links is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. Designed by Kyle Phillips and opened in 2010, it features plenty of water and many huge bunkers and rolling fairways.

Form Guide:

It's been an extraordinary year and season in the life of Rory McIlroy and he will be determined to end it on a high in the Middle East. The Masters champion is the tournament favourite at 11/2 on Betway.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $9m, with around $1.5m going to the winner, who will also collect 9,000 Race to Dubai points.

How to Watch:

Thursday, Friday, November 7 and 8, Sky Sports Golf, 3.30am, Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, Sky Sports Golf, 4am.

To Win:

Rory McIlroy. The man to beat in Abu Dhabi (11/2)

Each Way:

Marco Penge. Breakthrough year for the Englishman (20/1)

Each Way:

Tommy Fleetwood. Comes into the week following a special few months (11/2)

Five to Follow:

Rory McIlroy. Masters champion has the Race to Dubai in his sights (11/2)

Marco Penge. Already with three titles to his name in 2025, could a fourth be coming? (20/1)

Tommy Fleetwood. Loves this part of the world (11/2)

Tyrrell Hatton. Former champion in Abu Dhabi (8/1)

Alex Noren. The Swede has rolled back the years in recent weeks (22/1)

What The Bookies Think (2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Winner)

1. Rory McIlroy (11/2)

2. Tommy Fleetwood (11/2)

3. Tyrrell Hatton (8/1)

4. Ludvig Aberg (10/1)

5. Matt Fitzpatrick (14/1)

6. Robert MacIntyre (14/1)

7. Marco Penge (20/1)

8. Rasmus Hojgaard (20/1)

9. Tom McKibbin (20/1)

10. Aaron Rai (22/1)

11. Alex Noren (22/1)

12. Shane Lowry (22/1)

13. Nicolai Hojgaard (25/1)

14. Patrick Reed (33/1)

15. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (33/1)

This Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship preview article was written in collaboration with Betway.