Shane Lowry will not be teeing it up in Abu Dhabi next week. The Offaly man is missing from the field for the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, the first of the DP World Tour’s two end-of-season play-off events, and he is far from alone. A string of big names, including world No 3 Matt Fitzpatrick, Open champion Ryan Fox and Ryder Cup star Ludvig Åberg, will also be absent, as unease about security in the Middle East hangs over the climax of the season.
Rory McIlroy, however, is staying put, and has made it clear he will play both play-off events.
Who is missing, and why
The Abu Dhabi event takes place at Yas Links from 5 to 8 November, followed by the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from 12 to 15 November, according to Golf Monthly.
Lowry, who sits 16th in the Race to Dubai standings, has not given a public reason for skipping Abu Dhabi, Midlands 103 and Golf Monthly reported. Midlands 103 described him as one of several players to have opted out of this season’s play-offs. SportsJOE grouped him among a number of leading players pulling out amid safety concerns, but no statement from Lowry himself has been published, so readers should not assume his reasons.
Others have been more open. Fitzpatrick, tenth in the standings, said in September that he did not feel comfortable playing in the Middle East given the ongoing unrest there, and also pointed to the arrival of a baby in August, Golf Monthly reported. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre has also voiced concerns about the situation in the region and is waiting to see how things develop, while Justin Rose said he wanted a quiet end to the year to prepare for next season, according to Heavy.
Fox, sixth in the Race to Dubai and with an outside chance of the overall title, will not play Abu Dhabi but remains listed for the Dubai finale, Heavy reported. Alex Fitzpatrick, Min Woo Lee, Si Woo Kim and Ryan Gerard are also among the notable absentees.
Not every absence is a choice. Ulster’s Tom McKibbin finished 87th in the standings and missed the cut-off for the top 70 who qualify for Abu Dhabi, Golf Monthly noted.
The backdrop: a tense region
SportsJOE reported that Iran struck key infrastructure in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Tensions have since eased, but there are fresh worries about a wider conflict after recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Against that backdrop, the DP World Tour has pointed out that the UK Foreign Office has not advised against travel to the United Arab Emirates, according to Heavy.
Both play-off events are still going ahead as planned.
McIlroy: ‘Not for me’
McIlroy, third in the Race to Dubai, has taken the opposite view to many of his peers. Asked about skipping the trip, he told reporters it was “not for me”, SportsJOE reported, adding that he has many friends in the region. He also argued that local authorities would not put players in harm’s way if they did not consider it safe, Heavy reported.
For the Holywood man, sitting third, the two Gulf events are a final chance to climb the standings, and the absence of several rivals from Abu Dhabi will do his hopes no harm.
What happens next
The Race to Dubai rules mean only the top 50 eligible players after Abu Dhabi advance to the DP World Tour Championship, Heavy reported, so absences in the first event open the door for players further down the list. For Lowry, sitting out the first event leaves his place in Dubai and his final ranking in the hands of others.
Whether Lowry also skips Dubai has not been confirmed in the reports we have seen. Irish fans will be watching McIlroy closely at Yas Links next week, and if the security picture changes, the Tour may yet face further questions about its season-ending swing in the Gulf.
Sources
- Midlands 103: Shane Lowry opts out of DP World Tour play-offs (28 October 2026)
- SportsJOE: Shane Lowry among those to pull out of huge DP World Tour event due to safety concerns (28 October 2026)
- Golf Monthly: Which big names are missing the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship? (October 2026)
- Heavy: Rory McIlroy gets major update as stars withdraw from Abu Dhabi event (29 October 2026)
Featured image: Shane Lowry, 2023.jpg by Professional Golfers’ Association (Great Britain and Ireland), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Leave a Reply