The DP World Tour heads to the United Arab Emirates this week for the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links, with the tournament running from 5 to 8 November. It is the last event before the DP World Tour Championship next weekend, so there is plenty on the line for the players still chasing Race to Dubai points.
Aaron Rai is the defending champion after winning a playoff at 25 under par last year, and the field is led in the market by Rory McIlroy at 7.00, with Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott and Jon Rahm also near the top of the betting. Rai returns to defend his title and is priced at 19.00. We have three selections this week, including the Race to Dubai leader, so here is our full betting preview for the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Course
Yas Links is a par 72 that measures around 7,414 yards off the back tees. It was designed by Kyle Phillips, opened in 2010 and is the first true links course in the Middle East, with the course sitting on a narrow strip of land beside salt marshes and estuaries that feed into the Gulf. It has hosted the Abu Dhabi Championship since 2022, and the scoring has been low in recent years, with winning scores of 10, 18, 24 and 25 under par in the last four editions. As a links course by the water, we would expect good ball-striking and a strong short game to be rewarded. The last two winners both reached 24 under or better, so we are looking for players who can go low, and each-way bets give us some protection in a tight market.
Previous Winners
2025 Aaron Rai (England) -25 Playoff
2024 Paul Waring (England) -24 2 strokes
2023 Victor Perez (France) -18 1 stroke
2022 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) -10 1 stroke
2021 Tyrrell Hatton (England) -18 4 strokes
Rory McIlroy heads the market at 7.00, with Tommy Fleetwood next at 9.00, followed by Adam Scott at 15.00 and Jon Rahm at 17.00. Aaron Rai, Daniel Hiller and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra are all priced at 19.00. With the market so tightly packed, there is plenty of value to be found, and we have gone with Chacarra and Fleetwood, who are both near the head of the market, and Casey Jarvis at 36.00 as an outside shot. Chacarra is the form player coming into the week, Fleetwood has a strong record at the course, and Jarvis is the kind of price that can pay out nicely if he continues his strong season.
Betting (2026 Abu Dhabi Championship) – Click here to bet
Rory McIlory 7.00
Tommy Fleetwood 9.00
Adam Scott 15.00
Jon Rahm 17.00
Aaron Rai 19.00
Daniel Hiller 19.00
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra 19.00
SELECTIONS:
Eugenio Lopez Chacarra at 19.00
Our first pick of the week is a no-brainer, as we take Chacarra at 19.00 after his amazing run of form on the DP World Tour and as the current leader of the Race to Dubai. In Chacarra’s last four events he has secured three top-three finishes as well as a top 25. The top 25 came at last week’s Korea Championship, where he finished 22nd. Prior to that he won the India Championship, finished runner-up at the Open de España and finished third at the Open de France. If he can keep this form going into this weekend, I like his chances, and at 19.00 each way it is a very good price for a player who is leading the Race to Dubai.
Suggested bet: Eugenio Lopez Chacarra each way at 19.00.
Tommy Fleetwood at 9.00
Our next pick is last year’s runner-up, Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood’s last two starts at the tournament have seen him finish runner-up, losing to Aaron Rai in a playoff last year, and 6th in the 2024 edition of the tournament. Fleetwood also comes into this week off the back of a 5th place finish at the India Championship and a 4th place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. With that kind of course form and a pair of top-five finishes in his last few starts, he is the second favourite at 9.00 and we think he is worth backing each way, especially at a course where he has been so close to winning.
Suggested bet: Tommy Fleetwood each way at 9.00.
Casey Jarvis at 36.00
Our last pick of the week is the in-form South African, Casey Jarvis. In two of his last three starts on tour he has secured top-five finishes. These came from a 4th place finish at the Korea Championship last week and a runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Jarvis has had a stellar season this year on the DP World Tour, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put in another solid result. At 36.00 each way, he gives us a big price on a player in good form.
Suggested bet: Casey Jarvis each way at 36.00.
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Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
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