Paul Waring carded a bogey-free final-round 66 to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship by two strokes from a star-studded field which included LIV golfer, Tyrrell Hatton and four-time Major champion, Rory McIlroy.
Waring began the day out in front by just one stroke at Yas Links after his course-record 61 on Friday was followed up with an awkward 73 on Saturday. However, the Englishman was quick out of the blocks in round four with two consecutive birdies to start setting him well on the way.
Two more birdies either side of the turn gave Waring some breathing room on a day where his challengers were also going low, but his advantage was eventually wiped out by Hatton midway through the back nine.
The 39-year-old putted brilliantly to avoid any mistakes coming home, and he finally warmed his flat stick up sufficiently on the 17th to roll in a vital 40-foot birdie - his fifth of the day - and hit the front once more.
While a par on the 600-plus-yard par-5 18th would have been enough to seal victory and bank the $1.53 million winner's check, Waring was able to get down in four via some superb golf to add a cherry to the top of his triumphant cake.
Describing his emotions throughout the day, Waring said: "You know what, I was absolutely fine until -- I'll be honest with you, I thought the second shot into 18 was absolutely perfect. To see it go long was, right, I've still got business, still got stuff to do.
"So got my head back on. I'll be honest, legs were shaking a little bit over that last putt. I just wanted to make sure that nothing else could happen and great to roll that one in on the last as well."
Reflecting on just the second DP World Tour win of his career, following on from the Nordea Master six years ago, Waring joked: "It was quite an easy day really, wasn't it?!
"To actually keep control of myself in the way that I did today I'm really proud of myself, and Alex was absolutely amazing. Playing partner was amazing, Shane, was great as was Niklas. I'm a bit taken aback right now."
Victory in Abu Dhabi has moved Waring up to fifth in the Race To Dubai and means he is almost certainly set to claim one of 10 PGA Tour cards on offer to DP World Tour golfers.
It will also likely push him up to around 100th in the world and may allow the player who was ranked 229th before the week to compete at a Major next season.
Either way, victory will be life-changing. So what of the future for Waring? He said: "I was quite happy living in Dubai to be honest with you. It's going to be a long way to travel, a long commute over to America. But I'm looking forward to that. It's a new challenge. I don't know if that's the case. Absolutely made up."
A closing 64 from Hatton left him in solo second - and consequently helped him secure another large cluster of Ryder Cup points - while McIlroy (64), Matt Wallace (63), and Thorbjorn Olesen (66) all shared third.
ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
- -24 Paul Waring (66)
- -22 Tyrrell Hatton (64)
- -21 Rory McIlroy (64)
- -21 Matt Wallace (63)
- -21 Thorbjorn Olesen (66)
- -20 Tommy Fleetwood (67)
- -20 Thriston Lawrence (64)
- -20 Antoine Rozner (63)
- -20 Ugo Coussaud (66)
- -19 Matthew Jordan (66)
- -19 Tom McKibbin (64)
- -19 Niklas Norgaard (70)
Updates from...
WELCOME TO THE ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ROUND
Welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of what is sure to be a scintillating finale to the 2024 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.
There are birdies galore in Abu Dhabi today, with several players having already carded 63s - Antoine Rozner currently holds the clubhouse lead on 20-under after posting nine-under on Sunday alone.
But it is Paul Waring who is currently in first place on 22-under, and he's bumbling along nicely on four-under with the majority of the back nine still to go.
Behind him, there are 13 players within three strokes. One slight wobble and the title race is back open. Stick with me, folks. This should be top-drawer golf.
OFF THE FLAG STICK
One of several chasers, Matt Wallace, pitches his golf ball into an uphill bank off to the right of the 18th green. It chases towards the hole, but stays above ground by clattering into the pin. That will be a tap-in birdie, though, and he moves up to 21-under to take the clubhouse lead. So not all bad.
Meanwhile, his playing partner, Thriston Lawrence finishes with a birdie as well. That helps him into that massive group in T3rd and likely keeps the Race To Dubai fight alive into the final round next week.
To join the lead...@mattsjwallace is denied by the flag but sets the clubhouse target at -21. #ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/x84ksRyeikNovember 10, 2024
LOWRY GOING LOW
Shane Lowry jumps up into a tie for second after 12 holes with a beautiful mid-range birdie putt that just bends slightly from right to left as he looked.
Now then. Paul Waring dropped a nice wedge shot into the 12th green from around 120 yards, but he ever-so-slightly pushed his putt wide. The return effort for par found the right half of the cup as well, but it went in. Hopefully nerves don't affect his putting stroke too much through these final six holes...
FINAL GROUP WITH BIRDIE CHANCES
All three players in the final group find the dancefloor on the par-3 13th, which has a wicked pin placement at the back right. You've got all the land you could possibly wish for out left, but it's a watery grave right. Two of the trio - Waring and Norgaard - make the safe play, pin-high and 20/25 feet left, but Lowry goes right at it and has maybe 15 feet left, under the hole.
MCILROY DOWN THE LAST
It looks as though it will be another year passing by without an Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title for McIlroy, but he has given it a very good go. His drive down 18 will hopefully set up an eagle, but then he's still hoping for mistakes from the others if he is to win.
From a wider perspective, the Race To Dubai will go down to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next week!
FLEETWOOD ONE BACK
As the final group all come up agonizingly short of birdies on the 13th - Waring was possibly closest as his putt hooped from left to right - Tommy Fleetwood puts a little more pressure on.
The chip-and-run along the right-side of the green to leave it maybe four feet out was sublime, and the Englishman makes no mistake with his putt. Wallace (63), Fleetwood (14), and Lowry (13) are all one back now, but Lowry has found trouble with his tee shot on the 14th.
Luckily for him, he's just about OK in terms of avoiding the water. But the angle is shocking - noting to work with. This will have to go up, but it's more than a little breezy out there today, so that's not going to be easy, either.
ONE LAST ROLL FOR RORY
McIlroy absolutely booms a 3-wood onto the 18th green from circa 275 yards, slinging a hooping draw in towards the target. It's rolled towards the centre of the green and is still uphill, but it's some 30 feet or more. Makeable. If he does, that will push McIlroy into a share of the lead.
SCRAPPY FROM FINAL THREE
The 14th has not been vintage from any of the final three. Lowry's tee shot was iffy, and the Irishman's second shot found the bunker short of the flag. Out of the sand, Lowry whipped it up to eight feet.
Waring was lucky to see his chip stay on the short grass, while Norgaard chunked his chip before following that up with an excellent recovery putt from some 100 feet.
MCILROY ENDS ON -21
The World No.3 gives his long-range eagle putt a really good go, but it's only a few inches to the right. Birdie holed and McIlroy ends the week on 21-under.
On the previous hole, LIV golfer Tyrell Hatton rolls in a birdie putt to make that T2nd group one player bigger...
Final round 64 for the Race to Dubai leader ✍️Rory joins Matt Wallace in the clubhouse at -21.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/g7OSUYQbq1November 10, 2024
WARING JUST DOES ENOUGH
As I mentioned previously, none of the final trio enjoyed a sparkling 14th hole, with both Norgaard and Lowry walking away with a bogey. The Danish player saw a close-range putt lip out and wander double the distance away while his Irish peer did pretty well to escape with only one dropped shot.
However, the leader - who was left with a tricky 10 foot putt - just about found the right edge of the hole and his ball dropped in. This is tense with a capital 't'.
HEART-IN-MOUTH MOMENT FOR WARING
On the 450-yard par-4 15th, Paul Waring hit a provisional drive after a ropey pull off the tee, but he found his original ball and has sent that to the middle of the green. The leader does seem to be getting an awful lot of luck at the moment, but - my goodness - he has earned it this week.
WARING HAS COMPANY AT THE TOP
Waring's long-range birdie putt traveled over the top of an awkward ridge a third of the way along and trickled out to the right, leaving him an awkward par putt. But the Englishman shows his mettle by nudging that into the hole. Superb.
However, Waring has been joined at the top on 22-under by Tyrrell Hatton - who has posted a Sunday 64 thanks to a brilliant birdie putt on 18.
New clubhouse leader 👋@TyrrellHatton finishes birdie-birdie to reach -22.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/62ar8gnmY8November 10, 2024
PAUL'S PAR TRAIN ROLLS ON
Shane Lowry's birdie attempt on the 16th might well have been derailed by Norgaard's marker, but it was a great attempt nonetheless.
Moments later, Paul Waring pushes his own birdie try right of the hole - not helped by the break which was pushing it in that direction anyway - something which is becoming a little bit of a concerning pattern.
It's as you were at the top. Waring knows he must find a birdie from either of the final two holes. It's certainly possible on 18, so he just needs to avoid a mental error over the next half an hour or so.
OLESEN COMES UP SHORT WITH EAGLE CHANCE
In the crowd on -20, Thorbjorn Olesen absolutely blasted his drive down 18 and left himself just 267 yards in on the 600+ yard hole. The 3-wood approach bailed out right, but Matt Wallace proved earlier it is possible to find the flag from there. (See early post) Mind you, so has Olesen - he chipped in from there in round two.
But it wasn't to be this time. He's just below the hole, some four feet out, for birdie with a chance of jumping into a tie for third on 21-under alongside McIlroy and Wallace. He makes it, and that's a great week for the Dane, who loves this part of the world.
BIG BIRDIE FROM WARING
Oohhh what a putt from Paul Waring! This is an easier pin position on the par-3 17th, with a kind of collection bowl feeding balls into the right side and the wind helping, but Waring didn't really take advantage of it after landing his tee shot in the heart of the green.
Nevermind that, though, because the Englishman has confidently dunked his birdie putt from 25/30 feet. He leads by one going down the very kind 18th.
"Would you believe it!" @PaulWaringGolf birdies the penultimate hole to take a one-shot lead to the 18 🙌#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/u3IAVpSWUMNovember 10, 2024
HAMMERED DOWN THE CENTRE
Paul Waring thumps his drive right down the middle of the 18th fairway. It's been six years since he last won on the DP World Tour - his first victory - but that run could be about to end in a matter of minutes...
WARING CLOSING IN
Just as Waring is weighing up his options into the 18th green, a white helicopter appears out of nowhere and annoyingly hovers around for a little while before nudging off towards the racing circuit.
Not what you need when you're trying to close out a championship.
Adrenaline pumping around his body, Waring crunches a 3-wood towards the flag. It skips across the putting surface and settles over the back, but the chances of par or better have risen considerably.
TWO PUTTS AWAY
Waring has quite a lot of fringe to go through to reach the green, plus there is a decent up-slope to navigate, but he does pretty well to leave it 15 feet away. Two putts from there, and Waring will be the champion.
THE STAGE IS SET
Lowry and Norgaard are really not helping Waring's situation here. They're both struggling to make par as the leader just stands and waits for his turn.
Norgaard finally banks his par following a three-putt from off the green, while Lowry cards a bogey to drop outside of the top-10.
PAUL WARING WINS ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP
Paul Waring wins the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship! And he does it in some style, too, rolling in his birdie putt on the 18th to card a sublime 66 and win by two strokes from Tyrrell Hatton.
THE WINNING MOMENT
Here is the winning moment for Paul Waring. Look what it means to him!
A life changing putt for @PaulWaringGolf! 🏆#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/DW1pQVkkzeNovember 10, 2024
HEAR FROM THE CHAMPION
Describing his emotions towards the end of his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship success, Waring admitted his "legs were shaking a little bit."
"My legs were shaking a little bit over that last putt!" 🫨Waring reacts to maiden win in Abu Dhabi 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5T9BHFNWOvNovember 10, 2024
