Paul Waring Secures Second Career Title at Abu Dhabi Championship

Paul Waring’s sole prior title was achieved at the Nordea Masters in 2018. Abu Dhabi Championship – Final Round Leaderboard: -24 P Waring (Eng) -22 T Hatton (Eng) -21 R McIlroy (NI), T Olesen (Den), M Wallace (Eng) -20 T Fleetwood (Eng), U Coussand (Fra), T Lawrence (SA), A Rozner (Fra) Selected others: -19 M Jordan (Eng), T McKibbin (NI) -18 S Lowry (Ire), J Smith (Eng) -17 R Macintyre, A Fitzpatrick (Eng) England’s Paul Waring emerged victorious at the Abu Dhabi Championship, marking his second career title on the European Tour and his first in six years, overcoming a competitive field. The 39-year-old golfer defeated fellow countryman Tyrell Hatton by two strokes, concluding his performance at Yas Links with a six-under-par 66 to achieve a total score of 24 under par. Rory McIlroy, the current leader of the Race to Dubai, posted a round of 64, resulting in a three-way tie for third place at 21 under par with England’s Matt Wallace and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen. Hatton also completed his round with a 64, making birdies on the last two holes to draw even with Waring at 22 under. However, Waring regained sole possession of the lead with a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, followed by another birdie on the final hole to secure a remarkable victory. The Birkenhead-born player stated, “To keep control of myself in the way I did, I’m really proud of myself. I’m a bit taken aback right now.” He added, “I felt that my golf game has been in such a good place over the past year, I just haven’t put it all together. What a week for it all to click together.” Waring had established a strong position by setting a course record of 11-under-par 61 in the second round, which was the lowest score of his career. However, his five-shot lead was reduced to a single stroke following a third-round score of 73. Prominent figures from the DP World Tour, including two-time champion Tommy Fleetwood and former Open winner Shane Lowry, were among the contenders. Fleetwood ultimately concluded the tournament in a four-way tie for sixth place at 20 under par after a final round of 67. Meanwhile, Lowry, who played alongside Waring, lost three shots over the last six holes, placing him 13th with a score of 18 under. McIlroy also mounted a significant challenge, and although his final round of eight under par did not secure the win, he expressed satisfaction in finishing one shot ahead of South African Thriston Lawrence, who is his closest competitor in the Race to Dubai rankings. The Northern Irishman commented, “I set myself a target with six holes to go and I achieved that target.” He is now poised to be named Europe’s top golfer for the sixth time at the upcoming season finale in Dubai next weekend. He further added, “I was glad to make the four at the last and give myself a little bit more of a cushion going into Dubai.”