Paul Waring wins, Sharma misses out on season finale
In a thrilling conclusion to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, 39-year-old Englishman Paul Waring secured victory with a remarkable four-round total of 24-under par, sealing a two-stroke win. Waring, who shot rounds of 64-61-73-66, entered the final round at 18-under, clinging to a narrow one-stroke lead. His final-round 66 fended off a fierce challenge from compatriot Tyrrell Hatton, who blazed through the course with a sensational 64 to finish runner-up at 22-under.
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This win marks Waring’s second career title on the DP World Tour, his first since triumphing at the Nordea Masters over six years ago. As Hatton briefly caught him on the back nine, Waring responded in style, draining a pivotal 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and calmly parring the last to capture the winner’s cheque of $1,530,000.
Hatton, a seven-time DP World Tour winner and LIV Golf’s Legion XIII team member, came tantalizingly close to adding another title to LIV Golf’s tally since the rival tour’s inception in 2022. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, the current Race to Dubai leader, lit up the leaderboard with a dazzling 64, finishing tied for third at 21-under alongside Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and England’s Matt Wallace.
Shubhankar Sharma, the sole Indian contender, posted rounds of 71-73-66-65, finishing tied-32nd. Despite a stellar final round of 65, Sharma fell short of qualifying for next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, concluding the season ranked 68th, with only the top 51 moving on to the finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Photo – DPWT
