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The 30-year-old golfer displayed remarkable nerve to claim the prestigious Abu Dhabi title on Sunday, beating Tommy Fleetwood in a tense playoff after a topsy-turvy last day of competition.

The Englishman nailed a decisive birdie from around eight foot to clinch the victory, repeating his sole prior tournament triumph at the 2020 Scottish Open, which was also a playoff victory over the same opponent.

Sunday's Play Drama

The champion started the last day with a single stroke lead over fellow Englishman Fleetwood and Denmark’s Højgaard. He finished with a overall score of twenty-under after a up-and-down, 67 closing round that featured seven birdie putts and two bogeys.

The challenger moved a stroke clear with two holes remaining after a birdie putt on the sixteenth, but Rai pulled level again on the seventeenth and then failed to convert a ten-foot birdie attempt to win outright on the last green.

Playoff Decider

That set up a playoff at the Yas Links course where the eventual winner triumphed to take the championship and $1.5m (£1.13m) in prize money.

{“Tommy is a phenomenal player and an even more person. To play with him the last two days was really special,” said Rai, the current 30th-ranked player globally. “You’re so concentrated on playing the round and staying in the zone, it’s difficult to describe at the moment how it feels. It is incredible to be holding the trophy.”

Other Contenders

The Northern Irish star found himself just too much to make up, finishing one shot behind in a shared third place with the Dane, after a spectacular 10-under final round of 62. It was his lowest-ever round on the European Tour, comprising eight birdie putts and an eagle.

The Danish golfer fired six birdie putts of his as well, but his hopes of topping the leaderboard were dented by a bogey on the twelfth. England’s Richard Mansell hit an excellent last round seven-under to end up in a tie for fifth place with Australia’s Daniel Hillier.