Out of the Rough: Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship (2026)

Following 41 events played across five continents and 25 different countries, the DP World Tour enters its end-of-the-season playoffs.

The DP World Tour Playoffs are here as this week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship welcomes the top 70 golfers from the Tour’s season-long Race to Dubai Standings. From here, the top 50 within the standings will advance to next week’s DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Yas Links plays host this week for the 21st edition of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. This is the third season that this event is part of the DP World Tour Playoffs, moving from its former early-season slot to this placement within the schedule a season ago.

The Field

At this point, we know what the field this week looks like.

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood will headline this field as Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra will look to continue his hold of the season-long standings.

Patrick Reed, Casey Jarvis, Aaron Rai, Daniel Hillier, Jayden Schaper, Jacob Skov Olesen, Andy Sullivan, Bernd Wiesberger, Oliver Lindell, Joe Dean and Nacho Elvira come in as those ranked within the top 15 of the Race to Dubai Standings to be teeing it up this week.

With the ongoing regional friction within the Middle East, many who have qualified for this event are opting to skip it. In result, this will overall make this year’s DP World Tour Playoffs feature one of the weaker fields we’ve seen in a long time. 

Those who have otherwise qualified but will not be playing this week include Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Alex Fitzpatrick, Min Woo Lee, Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Si Woo Kim, Justin Rose and Ryan Gerard. 

Again, from here just the top 50 within the Race to Dubai Standings will advance to next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

The current first five names within the top 50 cutoff line are Gregorio De Leo, Matthew Jordan, Manuel Elvira, Adam Scott and Ewen Ferguson. 

The first five currently on the outside looking in are Rahm, Matt Wallace, Victor Perez, Joost Luiten and Tyrrell Hatton.

Additionally, with just two events remaining in the 2026 season, all eyes will be on the top-ten of the Race to Dubai Standings as those who are not otherwise qualified, will receive a PGA Tour card for the 2027 season.

Dean currently holds the final spot for a PGA Tour card but leads Nacho Elvira by just 51.64 points. Nacho Elvira is currently the first player outside of the top-ten.

Rai comes in as the defending champion as he topped Fleetwood in a playoff a season ago. 

Victor Perez won this event, although in January and not part of the DP World Tour Playoffs, in 2023 and will be playing this week as well.

The Course

The Yas Links Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, UAE is a masterful piece of golf architecture. 

It is a links-style golf course that sits in the heart of the UAE and prior to its completion, the simple idea of such a course was unfathomable.

Now, Yas Links, which has hosted this event since 2022, offers an accurate resemblance to a true links course in the desert of the Middle East.

It was designed by Kyle Phillips, the mastermind behind courses such as Kingsbarn and Dundonald Golf Links.

Opened in 2010, it plays as a par-72 at 7,425 yards.

This course will test every aspect of the elite golfer’s game.

All but one of the par-three holes featured this week have water in play.

On top of that, the closing hole comes in at nearly 650 yards with water running all the way down the left side of the fairway. A true nerve-racking finishing hole for anyone looking to close this event out come Sunday.

The fairways this week feature rolling hills and lead to seashore greens.

The designers of this state-of-the-art facility were able to expand the existing shoreline and then in turn, used the dredged sand to build an ‘interesting’ variety of dune formations.

Weather can be a factor here as this golf course sits along the coastline.

Winds were a factor in the 2022 playing of this event as the winner, Thomas Pieters, was the only player to finish in double-digits under par. Last year, Rai was at -25. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is essentially a zero-percent chance of precipitation across all four days this week. Temperatures will be much warmer than what many of these golfers have been used to however. Highs are set at 92-degrees for all but Sunday, which is calling for a high of 93-degrees. Winds are also slated for ten miles-per-hour for each day except Sunday which is calling for nine miles-per-hour winds.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG: TTG)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)

• Total Driving (70-percent Driving Accuracy / 30-percent Average Driving Distance)

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained Putting (SG: PUTT) / Three Putt Avoidance

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Bogey Avoidance

Betting Card

Kristoffer Reitan (+2200)

This was my first click this week. On the DP World Tour, Reitan is currently first in par-five average scoring, third in three-putt avoidance, sixth in SG: OTT, ninth in both scrambling and SG: PUTT, 16th in total driving, 17th in SG: TTG, 32nd in birdie-or-better percentage, 49th in SG: ATG, 50th in SG: APP and 71st in bogey avoidance. He last played the FedEx Open de France on the DP World Tour where he placed third. He was also 39th at the BMW PGA Championship and 18th at The Open Championship. He has one start at this event, placing 22nd a season ago. Let’s not forget that on the PGA Tour, Reitan won the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, a Signature Event. 

Matt Wallace (+2500)

Across his last four starts on the DP World Tour, Wallace has been in great form. He placed tenth at the BMW PGA Championship, 14th at the Amgen Irish Open, ninth at the Omega European Masters and 15th at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo. Earlier this season he placed seventh at the Dubai Invitational and 20th at the Qatar Masters, both being played in the Middle East. On the DP World Tour, Wallace is currently second in SG: ATG, fourth in scrambling, seventh in bogey avoidance, ninth in SG: TTG, 11th in SG: APP, 17th in birdie-or-better percentage, 45th in both three-putt avoidance and par-five average scoring, 57th in SG: PUTT and 63rd in SG: OTT. Wallace last played this event in 2024 where he placed third. He also placed 20th in 2023 and 68th in 2022. 

Nacho Elvira (+9000)

Elvira has a victory in the Middle East already this season, claiming the Dubai Invitational at the start of the season. He also placed seventh at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and 14th at the Qatar Masters during that time. More recently, he placed 13th in his latest outing at the Genesis Championship and 15th at the DP World India Championship. He was also the runner-up at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo. On Tour he is currently 26th in SG: PUTT, 29th in scrambling, 33rd in birdie-or-better percentage, 36th in bogey avoidance, 40th in SG: APP, 59th in SG: TTG, 66th in three-putt avoidance, 74th in par-five average scoring, 86th in total driving, 87th in SG: ATG and 99th in SG: OTT. He placed seventh at this event a season ago. He also placed 56th here in 2024, 67th in 2023 and 42nd in 2022.

2025 Betting Card

• Matt Fitzpatrick (+1900) - T32nd

• Rasmus Hogjaard (+2500) - T23rd

• Kristoffer Reitan (+4500) - 22nd

• Haotong Li (+10000) - T32nd

2024 Betting Card

• Rasmus Hojgaard (+2000) - T32nd

• Thriston Lawrence (+4000) - T6th

• Jesper Svensson (+9000) - T44th

• Frederic LaCroix (+15000) - T46th

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