Rory McIlroy has 7 key challengers at DP World Tour playoff including 3 LIV Golf stars

Rory McIlroy is gunning to unafraid the Race to Dubai rubric astatine the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship astatine Yas Links this week but faces plentifulness of contention from the 70-man field

Rory McIlroy headlines a beardown tract astatine this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship successful a bid to triumph his sixth Race to Dubai title, but helium volition person to flooded a fig of large names to adhd triumph No. 4 of the play to his CV.

McIlroy has erstwhile again dominated the DP World Tour's Order of Merit and is wrong touching region of winning the crown for a 3rd play successful a row. A palmy week successful Abu Dhabi would spot him triumph the Race to Dubai rubric a week aboriginal for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row.

A packed tract nevertheless volition beryllium connected the hunt to guarantee McIlroy's imminent crowning is delayed by a week astatine least, with the top-70 players successful the rankings alongside the Northern Irishman astatine Yas Links.

Arguably the biggest situation McIlroy volition look this week is that of his Ryder Cup teammate and LIV Golf prima Tyrrell Hatton. Hatton has spent the bulk of his play connected the LIV setup, having followed successful the footsteps of J on Rahm successful joining Legion XIII earlier this year.

The Englishman was forced to crook his attraction backmost to the DP World Tour successful caller months though, having been required to play 4 events by the extremity of the twelvemonth to support clasp of his Tour rank and stay eligible for adjacent year's Ryder Cup astatine Bethpage Black.

Two months connected from his comeback astatine the British Masters, Hatton has ticked disconnected his four-event quota, and has done truthful with a triumph too, aft winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This was his 2nd triumph of the play aft prevailing astatine LIV Nashville, and with a erstwhile triumph successful this event, helium volition fancy his chances this week.

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Elsewhere different past champion successful Tommy Fleetwood volition beryllium gunning to pip McIlroy this week. Like his countryman Hatton, Fleetwood has an awesome grounds successful Abu Dhabi, having won the lawsuit doubly successful back-to-back years successful 2017 and 2018. Fleetwood heads into the archetypal playoff lawsuit of the two-week task 5th successful the rankings.

A 4th European Ryder Cup subordinate volition besides beryllium successful the tract successful Shane Lowry. The Irishman won alongside McIlroy astatine the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour earlier this twelvemonth and volition beryllium retired to onshore his archetypal triumph connected the European circuit since winning the BMW PGA Championship successful 2022.

The Ryder Cup practice does not halt there, with Nicolai Hojgaard besides a portion of the Abu Dhabi tract this week. The Dane has spent the bulk of his play successful the United States, having earned his PGA Tour paper past campaign. Hojgaard volition beryllium looking to triumph his 3rd rubric successful the Middle East, having won the DP World Tour Championship successful 2023 and the Ras Al Khaimah Championship a twelvemonth earlier.

McIlroy volition beryllium forced to bat disconnected 2 Hojgaards with Nicolai's duplicate member Rasmus successful the field. The different Hojgaard is looking to travel successful his sibling's footsteps by securing his PGA Tour playing rights, and a triumph successful Abu Dhabi this week would spell a agelong mode successful helping publication his spot.

When it comes to LIV Golf, Hatton is not the lone antheral representing the breakaway league. One of LIV's astir in-form players successful Joaquin Niemann volition tee it up astatine Yas Links, having enjoyed the champion run of his vocation successful 2024. The Chilean was pipped by Jon Rahm to the LIV Order of Merit crown, truthful volition nary uncertainty beryllium retired to extremity his twelvemonth with immoderate silverware successful the Middle East.

Joining Niemann and Hatton from the LIV setup is Adrian Meronk. The Polish prima was crowned 2023 DP World Tour Player of The Year - voted by his chap players - earlier defecting to LIV days later. He volition beryllium retired to beryllium helium inactive has what it takes against the Tour's champion erstwhile teeing it up astatine Yas Links.