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Rory McIlroy at the Abu Dhabi Championship. Alamy Stock Photo
tight margins
McIlroy finishes in tie for third after stunning 62 as Rai wins Abu Dhabi Championship
Shane Lowry finished in a share of 12th place.
RORY MCILROY HAS finished in a tie for third at the Abu Dhabi Championship after a stunning final round of 62, while England’s Aaron Rai snatched a play-off victory.
The world number two started the final round six behind Rai and shot a bogey-free 10-under 62 to take a tie for third on 24-under alongside Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, who shot 67. McIlroy’s lowest round ever on the DP World Tour included five birdies in a row between the 10th and 14th holes, and eight birdies in all.
He also eagled a Par 5 on the second hole.
FIVE BIRDIES IN A ROW! 👀
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 9, 2025
Rory McIlroy is -9 through 14 holes on Sunday 🤯#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/S3PJ2uFDoj
It was McIlroy’s 10th top-three finish in the tournament that he has never won.
Rai showed nerves of steel to beat Tommy Fleetwood on the first extra hole and win the tournament on Sunday. Rai made a birdie from 12 feet to clinch the playoff at Yas Links after fellow Briton Fleetwood had missed from further away.
Rai shot a final-round 67 and Fleetwood a 66 as both finished regulation play at 25-under par.
Shane Lowry finished in a share of 12th place after a final round of 68 to leave him on 19-under overall. Lowry had four birdies in all, the first three coming between the first and third holes, and an eagle at the 11th. But his final round was hampered by bogeys on the fifth and eighth holes.
Tom McKibbin finished on three-under for the tournament after carding a final round of 72.
Meanwhile on the PGA Tour, Séamus Power is seven shots off the lead heading into the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Power, who is fighting to retain his PGA Tour card, is in a share of 16th place on 15-under after a five-under 67. He currently sits in 135th place in the FedEx Cup Fall standings with the top 100 players after the RSM Classic at the end of the month earning cards for 2026.
South Africa’s Garrick Higgo currently holds a one-shot lead on 22-under.
Additional reporting by – © AFP 2025
Written by Sinead Farrell and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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