Two key golfers in Europe’s victory in the last Ryder Cup, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, have also confirmed their participation in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which will take place from 6th to 9th November at Yas Links.
The duo will join the reigning Masters champion and Grand Slam winner, Rory McIlroy, alongside other figures from the 2025 Ryder Cup such as Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Højgaard, Robert MacIntyre, and vice-captain Alex Noren, in a top-tier lineup for the inaugural tournament of the DP World Tour Playoffs at Yas Island.
World number five, Fleetwood —double winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2017 and 2018— arrives in the United Arab Emirates in great form, buoyed by his triumph last week at the DP World India Championship, where he signed off with a superb final round of 65 to win by two strokes over Keita Nakajima at the Delhi Golf Club and claim his eighth title on the DP World Tour.
The 34-year-old Englishman has experienced a breakthrough season, highlighted by his emotional first victory on the PGA TOUR at the TOUR Championship last August, where he also claimed the FedExCup. In doing so, Fleetwood became the second Englishman to lift the season’s trophy, following in the footsteps of Justin Rose.
His great form continued in the Ryder Cup, where he was Europe’s standout player in the historic 15-13 victory over the United States at Bethpage Black (New York) in 2025, the first time a team has won away from home since 2012.
Fleetwood delivered when it mattered most: he won four matches and lost only one over the five sessions, finishing the week as the top point scorer in the biennial clash.
“It’s always special to play at home, in the Emirates, and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is a tournament I look forward to every year,” said Fleetwood, who has resided in Dubai since 2022. “Yas Links is a great course and the atmosphere is always incredible. I’ve had great memories here over the years and starting the DP World Tour Playoffs in front of family and friends gives me extra motivation to finish the season on a high.”
Lowry created emotional scenes at Bethpage Black by securing the vital half-point that allowed Europe to retain the Ryder Cup in a tense Sunday singles session.
The 38-year-old Irishman knows what it is to win in the UAE: he lifted the Falcon Trophy in 2019 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, a decisive boost to one of the best years of his professional career, culminating with victory at The Open that year at Royal Portrush.
His inclusion in the historic European Ryder Cup team captained by Luke Donald guarantees his presence in the penultimate event of the Rolex Series of the season, as the 2025 Ryder Cup players are exempt and included in the field alongside the top 70 in the Race to Dubai Rankings.
“Abu Dhabi has always been a fantastic place to play golf and I’m really looking forward to returning to Yas Links in a few weeks,” said Lowry. “The DP World Tour Playoffs always provide an exciting climax to our season and it’s great to have the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the world. I’m going to give it my all to finish the year on top.”
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the DP World Tour, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first tournament of the grand finale of the DP World Tour season, which leads directly to the DP World Tour Championship, where the Race to Dubai champion will be crowned.
The top 70 available players from the Race to Dubai will compete in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, celebrating its 20th edition in 2025; of these, the top 50 will qualify for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the following week.
