The 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship takes place at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi from November 5‑8 as the DP World Tour Playoffs get underway.
The $9 million Rolex Series event opens the DP World Tour Playoffs, with the leading 70 available players in the Race to Dubai competing before the top 50 progress to next week’s season finale in Dubai.
Some players, including Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry, have opted to skip the event. That has given several players outside of the top 70 the chance to tee it up this week.
Yas Links is a Kyle Phillips-designed par‑72 course on Yas Island, with its coastal setting providing a distinctive test for the season’s penultimate tournament.
Last year, Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood finished at a tournament-record 25-under before the former won on the first play-off hole.
Rory McIlroy heads the betting market ahead of Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rai, Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra and Adam Scott.
Current 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Odds
| Player | Betting Odds |
|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 6.50 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 8.00 |
| Jon Rahm | 11.00 |
| Aaron Rai | 15.00 |
| Eugenio Chacarra | 15.00 |
| Adam Scott | 17.00 |
Leading 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Contenders
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy leads the betting as he looks to regain his best form at the playoffs, where he has typically enjoyed a lot of success.
He finished tied 42nd at the DP World India Championship on October 18 in his last start, closing with a two-over 74 to finish at four-under.
There is a more encouraging result slightly further back when McIlroy shared second place at September’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
His recent Yas Links record is particularly persuasive. McIlroy finished tied third last year after a closing 62 left him one shot outside the play-off, and he also finished tied third in 2024.
He starts this week approximately 999 Race to Dubai points behind Chacarra, making a strong finish important to his pursuit of an eighth season-long title.
Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood finished tied fifth at the DP World India Championship three weeks ago and returns to Yas Links where he has excellent recent course form.
He finished runner-up at Yas Links last year, producing a bogey-free closing 66 to reach 25-under before losing the play-off to Rai. That followed a tied-sixth finish in 2024.
He is chasing a third Abu Dhabi title, although his victories in 2017 and 2018 came at the tournament’s previous venue at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm makes his Abu Dhabi Championship debut this week but his broader UAE record is outstanding.
Rahm has won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai three times in 2017, 2019 and 2022, and he is expected to be a major player on his full return to the DP World Tour.
Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai returns as defending champion after edging Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff 12 months ago in the event.
He closed with a 67, birdied the 16th and 17th to catch Fleetwood, then won with a birdie at the first extra hole after both players finished at 25-under.
He has since added the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink to his record and arrives ranked world No.17 and fifth in the Race to Dubai.
Rai finished 12 shots adrift of Eugenio Chacarra in his last start in the DP World India Championship three weeks ago.
Eugenio Chacarra
Eugenio Chacarra has been in red-hot form including finishing third at the Open de France, runner-up at the Open de Espana and winning the DP World India Championship.
In India, he finished at 21-under to beat Daniel Hillier by two shots and move to the top of the Race to Dubai with two tournaments remaining.
Chacarra’s season statistics reinforce that run as he ranks 21st for driving accuracy, 13th for greens in regulation and sixth for par‑5 scoring.
Those are useful strengths for Yas Links, where last year’s leaders demonstrated that sustained birdie-making can be necessary.
Adam Scott
Adam Scott completes the featured group in what is a rare start on the DP World Tour.
The 2013 Masters champion and former world No.1 has more than 30 professional victories worldwide, but he has not gone close to winning in 2026.
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