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The 30-year-old golfer demonstrated remarkable composure to secure the prestigious Abu Dhabi title on Sunday, beating Tommy Fleetwood in a tense playoff after a topsy-turvy last day of play.

Rai nailed a crucial birdie putt from just over eight foot to clinch the victory, echoing his sole prior tournament success at the Scottish Open in 2020, which was also a playoff victory against Fleetwood.

Final Round Excitement

The champion started the final round with a one-shot advantage over fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard. He finished with a total score of twenty-under after a up-and-down, 67 closing round that featured seven birdies and a pair of bogeys.

Fleetwood moved a stroke ahead with two holes remaining after a birdie on the sixteenth, but his rival tied it up again on the seventeenth and then missed a ten-foot birdie attempt to win outright on the final green.

Playoff Climax

This set up a playoff at Yas Links where the eventual winner triumphed to claim the title and $1.5m (£1.13 million) in winnings.

{“Tommy is a phenomenal player and an even more person. To play with him the last two days was truly memorable,” stated Rai, the present world No 30. “You’re so concentrated on playing the round and staying in the zone, it’s hard to describe at the present how it feels. It is incredible to be stood here.”

Other Performances

The Northern Irish star left himself a bit too far to make up, finishing one shot behind in a shared third place with the Dane, after a stunning 10-under closing round of ten-under. It was his best-ever round on the DP World Tour, comprising eight birdies and an eagle.

The Danish golfer carded six birdie putts of his own, but his hopes of topping the leaderboard were dented by a dropped shot on the twelfth. England’s Mansell hit an excellent last round seven-under to end up in a tie for fifth place with Australia’s Daniel Hillier.