Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship preview: Chacarra leads Race to Dubai as McIlroy chases fifth straight title

The DP World Tour Play-Offs start this week at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links, from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November. A 70-player field will play for a US$9 million purse. Spain's Eugenio Chacarra leads the Race to Dubai. Rory McIlroy is third and is trying to win the season-long title for a fifth year in a row.

Race to Dubai standings

According to The National, Chacarra has 4,143.9 points after a season in which he won three DP World Tour titles. Patrick Reed is second on 3,474.6 points, 669 behind. McIlroy is third on 3,144.9 points, 999 behind Chacarra.

There are 3,500 points left in the season. The Abu Dhabi winner gets 1,500 points, and the winner of next week's DP World Tour Championship gets 2,000. McIlroy, 37, is trying to win his eighth Race to Dubai title, which would equal Colin Montgomerie's record. He has finished runner-up in Abu Dhabi four times.

Who is playing, and who is not

The field is made up of the top 70 available players in the Race to Dubai. Defending champion Aaron Rai is fifth in the standings. He won last year's event by beating Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off. Fleetwood, who won in Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018, is 26th.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are just outside the top 50, in 51st and 55th. Golf Channel says this is their first event since they announced they would not join LIV 2.0. Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are not playing, and Golf Channel says 11 of the top 70 in the standings are missing.

The event is going ahead despite the conflict in the Middle East. Golf Channel noted this, and the same concerns led Yamaha to pull out of next weekend's MotoGP race in Qatar.

What is at stake

The winner in Abu Dhabi gets about US$1.53 million. The bigger prize for many players is a place in the top 50 of the Race to Dubai after Sunday. Only the top 50 go through to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, from 12 to 15 November. That puts Rahm and Hatton under pressure, as they are both just outside the cut-off.

Yas Links is a par-72 links course on Yas Island designed by Kyle Phillips. Golf Digest ranks it in its world top 100.

Watching from Malaysia

Abu Dhabi is four hours behind Malaysia. Golf Channel's US broadcast windows are 2am–8am Eastern time from Thursday to Saturday, which is 3pm–9pm in Malaysia. Sunday's window is 1:30am–7:30am ET, or 2:30pm–8:30pm in Malaysia. This means the leaders will be finishing on Malaysian evenings. Check local listings for broadcasters in Malaysia.

Key takeaways

• The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship (5–8 November, Yas Links) is the first of two DP World Tour Play-Off events and has a US$9 million purse.
• Eugenio Chacarra leads the Race to Dubai with 4,143.9 points. Patrick Reed is 669 behind and Rory McIlroy is 999 behind.
• There are 3,500 points left: 1,500 for winning in Abu Dhabi and 2,000 for winning the DP World Tour Championship.
• Only the top 50 after Abu Dhabi play in Dubai. Jon Rahm (51st) and Tyrrell Hatton (55th) are just outside.
• Final-round coverage on Sunday runs from about 2:30pm to 8:30pm Malaysia time.

FAQ

Who leads the Race to Dubai before the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship? Spain's Eugenio Chacarra leads with 4,143.9 points, ahead of Patrick Reed (3,474.6) and Rory McIlroy (3,144.9).

Can Rory McIlroy still win the 2026 Race to Dubai? Yes. He is 999 points behind with 3,500 points still available across Abu Dhabi and the DP World Tour Championship. A win would be his eighth Race to Dubai title, equalling Colin Montgomerie's record.

How many players go through to the DP World Tour Championship? The top 50 in the Race to Dubai after Abu Dhabi go through to the final event at Jumeirah Golf Estates from 12 to 15 November.

Sources: The National, Golf Channel, Wikipedia