Andy DevaneyAaron Rai arrived in Abu Dhabi twelve months ago and left with a victory he hadn’t entirely seen coming. This time, he’s returning with something rather more substantial in his luggage: a Major championship to go alongside the Rolex Series title he’s here to defend.
The 31-year-old Englishman has enjoyed the most significant twelve months of his professional career, following his 2025 triumph at Yas Links with victory at May’s US PGA Championship, where he claimed the Wanamaker Trophy and his first Major title.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a player who admits that 2026 began slowly, with inconsistent performances and injuries making life difficult before everything came together at the PGA Championship.
And while the trophies have arrived, adjusting to what they mean has proved a different challenge altogether.
Aaron Rai Learning to Live With Major Success
Rai’s Abu Dhabi victory last year was his second Rolex Series success, but even he admits it caught him by surprise.
“It was quite unexpected, this week last year, in obviously the greatest way possible.”
His subsequent Major breakthrough brought an entirely different set of demands. Rai found the first few tournaments after his PGA Championship triumph particularly difficult, struggling to balance the scale of his achievement with the concentration required to compete again.
“I think I’m still adjusting to it, even as we’re speaking.”
That adjustment has gradually become easier. Rai believes he has settled back into his familiar preparation and practice routines, something he takes considerable pride in after a year that could easily have disrupted his approach.
“I don’t feel like it’s changed my style as a golfer that much. I still try to play events in a similar way and approach events in a pretty similar way.”
The difference, he acknowledges, is an additional layer of belief. Winning twice on such significant stages, and in different circumstances, has given him confidence that previous successes hadn’t quite provided.
Rai begins his Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship defence fifth in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World, with two lucrative events remaining to improve his position.
McIlroy’s Abu Dhabi Puzzle Remains Unsolved
While Rai returns to a course where everything went right, Rory McIlroy arrives determined to settle a piece of unfinished business.
The Northern Irishman has won seven times in neighbouring Dubai but, remarkably, has never managed to claim a title in Abu Dhabi despite an extraordinary record of consistency.
“I have a good record without getting the win. I think I’ve been in the top three here, 10 of the 14 times that I’ve played. This is my 15th time.”
Last year’s championship offered another near miss. McIlroy mounted a final-round charge but finished one shot short of the play-off contested by Rai and Tommy Fleetwood.
He’s grown increasingly comfortable at Yas Links, too, having initially preferred the previous venue at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. McIlroy now believes the course is in exceptional condition, potentially among the finest the players will encounter all season.
There is rather more than another tournament trophy at stake.
McIlroy is chasing an eighth Race to Dubai crown, which would equal the record, and a fifth consecutive title. Yet unlike recent seasons, he arrives at the DP World Tour Play-Offs looking upwards rather than defending the lead.
Eugenio Chacarra heads the standings, followed by Patrick Reed, with McIlroy third and Casey Jarvis fourth.
The increased points available across Abu Dhabi and next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai mean any of those four could finish this week at the top of the rankings.
McIlroy knows the opportunity is there. He also knows he cannot afford to spend another Sunday wondering what might have been.
“I know either two good finishes or a win and a good finish, I’ll be right there.”
Reed, Chacarra and the Battle for European Number One
Patrick Reed has his own reasons for looking forward to the final fortnight.
The American opened 2026 with a Rolex Series victory in Dubai and spent much of the season leading the Race to Dubai standings before Chacarra’s impressive performances carried the Spaniard into first place.
Reed is now hoping to become only the second American, after Collin Morikawa, to lift the Harry Vardon Trophy.
He arrives feeling physically strong and confident in his game, having also gained a better understanding of Yas Links following his previous appearances.
The 2018 Masters champion is under no illusions about the importance of the coming fortnight.
“Just one of those things that it really comes down to these last two weeks. We knew coming in, it was always going to come down to the last two events because of how big the points are.”
Reed will play alongside Chacarra and McIlroy in the opening two rounds, bringing the top three men in the Race to Dubai together as the season approaches its conclusion.
It’s an intriguing grouping, particularly with Chacarra experiencing the pressure of leading the rankings into the Play-Offs for the first time.
McIlroy has already indicated that he’s interested to see how the Spaniard handles the occasion, while Reed is looking forward to renewing his competitive acquaintance with both players.
The Abu Dhabi event features the top 70 players in the Race to Dubai standings, with the field reduced to 50 for the season finale in Dubai.
For Rai, the immediate business is defending a title that helped establish his place among the game’s leading players. For McIlroy, it’s finally turning an extraordinary Abu Dhabi record into a victory.
And for those chasing the Harry Vardon Trophy, the mathematics are becoming rather straightforward.
Two tournaments remain. There are plenty of points available. And after a long season, nobody at the top can afford much of a slip.
