Players at this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship have been told play will be suspended immediately if an official emergency alert goes off on their phones, as the DP World Tour presses ahead with its season-ending play-offs in the UAE amid tension in the Middle East. Rory McIlroy tees off in the final group at Yas Links on Thursday, 5 November, but Shane Lowry is among the notable names missing.
Emergency drill for Abu Dhabi Championship
The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship runs from Thursday to Sunday with a 70-player field and opens the tour’s two-event play-off finale. Under the procedures outlined to players and caddies, an official alert would trigger an instant halt, air horns would sound across the course, and everyone would leave the course and head to the clubhouse, according to Roundtable.
The US State Department currently has the UAE on a Level 3 travel advisory, citing terrorism and armed conflict, and its 23 October update warned of possible attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Big names stay away
Eleven eligible players have opted out of the event, Roundtable reported, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Ryan Fox and Lowry, who sits 16th on the Race to Dubai. No reason has been given in reports for Lowry’s absence.
Fitzpatrick has been the most outspoken, saying in September that he was “not that comfortable” about playing in the region and that becoming a father in August had shifted his priorities. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who has also recently become a father, shares those concerns. He told reporters: “This is potentially the end of my season right here,” as Golf Monthly reported.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin will not be in Abu Dhabi either, having finished outside the top 70 required to qualify.
McIlroy in the hunt for history
McIlroy arrives third on the Race to Dubai standings behind leader Eugenio Chacarra of Spain and American Patrick Reed. Because the order is reversed for round one, the three men go out together at 11:50am local time, the last group of the day, giving those further down the list a slight head start, Golf Monthly noted.
The Holywood man is chasing a fifth season-long title in a row, which would also be the eighth of his career and equal the all-time record.
What comes next
The play-offs conclude with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai from 12 to 15 November, where the Race to Dubai will be decided. A strong week at the Abu Dhabi Championship could put McIlroy in prime position to close the gap on Chacarra before the finale.
Tour officials have insisted the events will go ahead as planned, with the emergency measures in place should the regional situation change during play.
Read more: Sergio Garcia quits LIV and plots shock Ryder Cup return at Adare Manor, with Ireland’s McDowell and McKibbin also heading for the exit · Shane Lowry joins shock Abu Dhabi exodus as Middle East fears grip golf, but Rory McIlroy refuses to budge
Sources: Roundtable, Golf Monthly (tee times), Golf Monthly (absentees)
Leave a Reply