This week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the 41st of 42 events in the 2025 season, the fourth of five Rolex Series events and the first of two year-end DP World Tour play-offs.
It’s an important week for those at the top of the Race to Dubai (season rankings), and it’s also a financially significant week for those with a purse of $9 million.
Like next week’s final, the DP World Tour Championship, the tournament will also be held in the UAE, which is important because tournaments in the Middle Eastern desert tend to be repeated across all courses and countries.
Hosting Layout Yas Links is also an important factor because as the name suggests, it is what links create.
It’s also the design of Kyle Phillips, whose course form has proven crucial during the tour’s three previous visits.
This week’s class and Dubai rankings are also important, but who comes out on top?
Let’s take a look at the leading contenders, rate them out of 10, then add them up to see who comes out on top.
1. Rory McIlroy
Competing for ranking in Dubai? First. (10)
class? Won this year’s Masters (his fifth major victory) and followed it up with a career grand slam. Enough said. (10)
form? Won the Irish Open but failed to finish in the top 15 in two starts since the Ryder Cup. (7)
Middle Eastern form? Winner of the Dubai Desert Classic four times and the Dubai Desert Classic three times. (10)
Activity format? In his 13 starts, he had nine top-three finishes but never a win. (9)
Course format? The T12 got off to a slow start, finishing third last year, and will debut in 2022. (8)
Kyle Phillips form? Nothing but Yas links. (5)
Total: 59/70
2. Tommy Fleetwood
Competing for ranking in Dubai? 26th. (5)
class? This year he won the PGA Tour Championship and FedEx Cup and finished in the top three in majors three times. (9)
form? Won the Indian Championship last time. (10)
Middle Eastern form? Won two runner-up positions in the 2024 Dubai Invitational and DP World Tour Championship. (8)
Activity format? Winning back-to-back titles in 2017/18 and finishing second in 2020. (10)
Course format? Finished outside the top 30 in each of the first two races, leading last year’s opening round before finishing sixth. (6)
Kyle Phillips form? Finished 4th at Grove in 2016. (6)
Total: 54/70
3. Tyrell Hatton
Competing for ranking in Dubai? second. (9)
class? Tied for fourth at this year’s U.S. Open. (6)
form? Finished fifth at Wentworth and second at the Ryder Cup Dunhill Links Championship. (8)
Middle Eastern form? This year’s winner of the Dubai Desert Classic and two-time runner-up in the DP World Tour Championship. (7)
Activity format? 2021 Winner. (9)
Course format? The average score in the final round was 65.33 points, ranking sixth, seventh and second. (9)
Kyle Phillips form? Finished ninth at The Grove in the Dunhill Links Championship and had several good results at Kingsbarns, becoming a three-time winner (and three-time runner-up). (9)
Total: 57/70
4. Robert McIntyre
Competing for ranking in Dubai? sixth. (7)
class? 2024 Two-time PGA Tour Champion. (7)
form? Last time Dunhill Links Championship winner. (10)
Middle Eastern form? Seven top-10 finishes in 25 starts isn’t the best in this company. (4)
Activity format? Best T16 finish in five games. (2)
Course format? MC-20-19 is improving, but more is needed. (2)
Kyle Phillips form? Last time he won, he shot 66 at Kingsbarns. (6)
Total: 38/70
5. Marco Penger
Competing for ranking in Dubai? second. (9)
class? This year he won the DP World Tour for the third time. (6)
form? Last Spanish Open winner. (9)
Middle Eastern form? Bad (one promotion, then only T35 in six games). (0)
Activity format? Debut. (5)
Course format? Debut. (5)
Kyle Phillips form? Finished T43 at PGA National Oaks in Prague in 2024, but still low at Kingsbarns. (1)
Total: 35/70
6. Alex Nolen
Competing for ranking in Dubai? eighth. (7)
class? Two-time BMW PGA Championship winner. (8)
form? He won the British Masters in late August and the BMW PGA Championship in mid-September. (8)
Middle Eastern form? Finished second at the 2015 Dubai Desert Classic and 2022 DP World Tour Championship. (7)
Activity format? There wasn’t a single top 10 finish at the last venue. (4)
Course format? He finished fifth in his only start in 2023. (7)
Kyle Phillips form? Standout: Won titles at The Grove and PGA Swedish National, and had multiple low scores at Kingsbarns, including second and third at the Dunhill Links Championship. (10)
Total: 51/70
7. Matt Fitzpatrick
Competing for ranking in Dubai? 15th. (6)
class? 2022 U.S. Open Champion. (9)
form? He has three top-six finishes in his past four starts. (6)
Middle Eastern form? 2016 and 2020 DP World Tour Champion. (9)
Activity format? 3rd place in 2018, 2nd place in 2020. (8)
Course format? Debut. (5)
Kyle Phillips form? Nothing much to say. (3)
Total: 46/70
HSBC Championship standings
1. McIlroy 59
2. Hatton 57
3. Fleetwood 54
4. Door curtain 51
5. Fitzpatrick 46
6. McIntyre 38
7. Penge 35
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