Rory McIlroy lands in Abu Dhabi with an almost insurmountable lead. The Ulsterman is poised to net his sixth Harry Vardon Trophy. Certainly, a victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which he has never won by the way, will make that 1572.39-point lead even more staggering. But then, the winner receives 1500 points, so second-placed Thriston Lawrence has a shot to usurp McIlroy. Even more than Lawrence, these five big names have a better chance to topple McIlroy’s dreams in Abu Dhabi. 

Tommy Fleetwood

The Englishman is not the frontrunner to catch up with Rory McIlroy in the points list. But Tommy Fleetwood’s record in the tournament will be a threat to the Northern Irishman. The 33-year-old is a two-time former champion.

In his last seven starts, the 33-year-old has never finished outside the top 25. He is also coming off two back-to-back top-three finishes. Yas, after all, is a links course, and Fleetwood’s links form is unquestionable. Even though the Englishman missed the cut at the Open Championship, Fleetwood has netted six top-tens across his ten appearances in the Open and the Genesis Scottish Open.

Shane Lowry

The Irishman won the Zurich Classic with Rory McIlroy earlier this year. But at Yas Links, he is on his own dueling against his best mate on Tour (they even celebrated Halloween together). Lowry should, however, bank on his current run of form. In each of his last six starts, the 37-year-old has finished inside the top 13. Lowry is also a former champion of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Last year, he managed a T28 in Abu Dhabi. 

Robert McIntyre

The young Scot has had a spectacular run so far. Despite making his debut on the PGA Tour, McIntyre looked at home on unfamiliar terrain. Two wins and multiple top-tens surely is a confidence booster. On top of it, dating back to the FedEx St. Jude, the 28-year-old has maintained a top-25 streak (McIntrye withdrew from the BMW Championship). Last year, the Scotsman managed a T20 at Yas Links. McIntyre’s strength lies in scrambling (15th in scrambling) and putting (34th in SG: putting).

Tyrell Hatton

The LIV Golfer has taken the full opportunity to tee off in DP World Tour events. Hatton and his Legion XII captain, Jon Rahm, have contested DPWT’s claim of fine. Hence, they are allowed to tee off as long as the matter is still in court. Hatton is also a former winner of the DPWT Playoff tournament in 2021. The LIV golfer is coming off a victory in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. As for links form, in his last ten starts on links, Hatton has missed only two cuts and managed to come inside the top 25 on every single occasion. 

Joaquin Niemann

The Chilean has once again landed in the Middle East for a DP World Tournament. This will be Niemann’s debut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Niemann has managed 12 top tens this season aside from three titles across LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. 

The 25-year-old has been absent in most recent DP World Tour events, however. Joaquin Niemann’s only concern should be his performance on the linked courses. He has never managed to enter the top 50 in the Open Championship in his five appearances so far. He has teed off at the Genesis Scottish Open only once, settling for a T16 in 2022. 

Aside from these five, a handful of DP World Tour bigwigs are here to show off in Abu Dhabi. Justin Rose, McIlroy’s Ryder Cup mate, will tee off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time since 2021. The Englishman’s last finish has been a T13 at the Open de France in October. 

On the other hand, Adam Scott will also return to the Yas Links this week. The Aussie managed a T10 the last time he played in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2022. Interestingly, Scott quietly teed off in Japan at the Japan Open Golf Championship. However, he failed to make the cut.

Aside from the DPWT mainstays, Min Woo Lee is another name teeing off in Abu Dhabi. Last year, the Aussie icon was a runner-up. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship kicks off on November 7. Golf Channel will broadcast the tournament on Stateside.