Rory McIlroy commits to defend his Race to Dubai crown in the DP World Tour Play-Offs in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy committed to defend his Race to Dubai crown at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. McIlroy is leading the Race to Dubai standings with 2086 points, while the second and third places are occupied by Laurie Canter and Tyrrell Hatton with 1506 and 1497 points, respectively.

McIlroy will defend his Race to Dubai position by appearing at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and the tournament’s X page shared a post regarding the same on June 3rd. With that, they wrote:

“Rory McIlroy returns to Abu Dhabi! The reigning Race to Dubai Champion is set to defend his crown in the DP World Tour Play-Offs.”

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McIlroy also shared his excitement about returning to the Abu Dhabi event with the DP World Tour. His words were:

“I love ending the season in the Middle East and I’m excited to return to Abu Dhabi again for the first of two big events later this year…I’ve started the year well and I’ve got a good record at Yas Links so hopefully I can continue doing what I’m doing and give myself a chance of finishing the season strongly and having a shot of getting another Race to Dubai under my belt.”

Rory McIlroy only played one DP World Tour event in 2025 as of now, and it was the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where he finished at T4.

How did Rory McIlroy perform in the 2025 season?

Rory McIlroy played in nine PGA Tour events, and his best finishes came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the PLAYERS Championship, and the Masters Tournament, where he came out victorious with 21 under, 12 under, and 11 under, respectively. His last appearance on the PGA Tour was at the PGA Championship, where he finished at T47 with 3 over.

In the DP World Tour, McIlroy played at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where the golfer finished at T4 with a total score of 12 under. Here's a list of McIlroy's 2025 performances so far:

2025 PGA TOUR Tournaments

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the Pebble Beach Golf Links: Winner, 66-70-65-66, 267 (-21)
The Genesis Invitational at the Torrey Pines (South Course): T17, 72-67-74-72, 285 (-3)
Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard at the Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge: T15, 70-70-73-72, 285 (-3)
THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course): Winner, 67-68-73-68-13, 276 (-12)
Texas Children's Houston Open at the Memorial Park Golf Course: T5, 70-66-65-64, 265 (-15)
Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club: Winner, 72-66-66-73, 277 (-11)
Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club: T7, 66-67-69-68, 270 (-10)
PGA Championship at the Quail Hollow Club: T47, 74-69-72-72, 287 (+3)

2025 DP World Tournaments

Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club: T4, 70-71-69-66, 276 (-12)

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at Sportskeeda. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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Edited by pranavsethii