Stars Skip Abu Dhabi as McIlroy and Rahm Headline Playoff Opener

Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm will headline the Abu Dhabi Championship this week as the DP World Tour play-offs get underway at Yas Links, but several star names have opted against teeing it up. The tournament runs from Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8, with a total purse of nine million dollars and 1.5 million dollars going to the champion. McIlroy and Rahm will both be chasing a first win in the prestigious event, while defending champion Aaron Rai, who beat Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off last year, and Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra are also in the field. The top 50 in the Race to Dubai standings after the Yas Links action will earn a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates the following week. Despite the stakes, Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick will not be playing despite qualifying, and the same goes for Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg and Ryan Fox. It is not known whether the recent trouble in the Middle East is behind their absences, and they could yet play in the DP World Tour Championship if qualified. There had been rumours that the DP World Tour play-offs could be moved due to political tensions in the region, but the Abu Dhabi Championship is set to go ahead as planned. McIlroy said the event is always one of the tournaments he looks forward to, and with a reduced field of the top 75 in the Race to Dubai standings, the week promises a sharp, high-stakes start to the season's closing stretch.