Tommy Fleetwood denied £379k in Abu Dhabi Championship heartbreak

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood both missed out on a £1.1million top prize as Aaron Rai claimed victory in a dramatic play-off at the Abu Dhabi Championship. The opening DP World Tour Play-off event has concluded as the Race to Dubai reaches its thrilling finale. Two European Ryder Cup stars were in contention at Yas Links, with Fleetwood falling short in the play-off and McIlroy finishing in a share of third place.

The Abu Dhabi Championship's elevated status as a Play-off tournament meant significantly increased prize money, with a total purse of nearly £7million up for grabs. Fleetwood pocketed just over £750,000, whilst McIlroy collected his portion of £752,000, splitting the combined third and fourth prize with Nicolai Højgaard. McIlroy had started the final round trailing the leader, Rai, by six strokes, but a brilliant 62 propelled him straight back into the mix, though ultimately fell just short.

Following McIlroy's finish at 24 under par, Fleetwood and Rai both holed crucial putts on the 17th to reach the final hole locked together on 25 under. With Fleetwood only able to card a par, Rai had an opportunity to seal victory, but his birdie attempt slid past the cup, forcing the tournament into extra holes.

On the first play-off hole, both players had birdie chances. Following Fleetwood's miss, Rai, from marginally closer range, rolled his in to secure the top prize.

Reflecting on his triumph, Rai said: "It's hard to sum up. I was so focused on playing my round, trying to stay in the zone. It's hard to put into words at the moment how this feels or how I'm going to reflect on it. It's just amazing to be stood here.

"Tommy's a phenomenal player and an even better person. It's been really special to play with him for the last two days. It's amazing to be here."

Discussing his recovery from a difficult spell, which included missing a short putt at the 14th, he continued: "My caddie, Jason, was great. Walking down the 15th was tough because missing that putt on 14 was a shock to the system.

"He was great; he just told me to stay present, focus on the next shot and finish strong. I had a really good up and down on 15, which gave me a bit of confidence moving forward.

"That was an important moment and I managed to finish pretty strongly over the last three holes."

The Race to Dubai reaches its conclusion with the DP World Tour Championship, which begins on November 13.