Tournament: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Venue: Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Prize Fund: US$9,000,000
Race to Dubai: Tournament 41 of 42
Rolex Series: Tournament 4 of 5
DP World Tour Play-Offs: Tournament 1 of 2
Access full ASAP tournament transcripts here…
Tournament preview
Marco Penge is excited to compare his game to Rory McIlroy’s when he plays alongside the Masters Champion for the first time at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Having retained his card in the final counting event of the regular season in South Korea last year, Penge has since enjoyed a stellar 2025 campaign, becoming the first three-time winner this season with victories at the Hainan Classic, Danish Golf Championship and last month’s Open de España presented by Madrid.
With two events of the DP World Tour season remaining, Penge sits second on the Race to Dubai Rankings, one spot behind World Number Two McIlroy.
He will spend the first two rounds at Yas Links in the company of McIlroy and the Northern Irishman’s fellow Ryder Cup star Tyrrell Hatton, and Penge is excited to play with someone he has long looked up to as he bids to reduce the gap at the top of the standings.
With Penge 441 points behind leader McIlroy in the season-long race, he goes into the final two Rolex Series events of 2025 with a chance of overhauling him and capping what has been an outstanding season by winning the Harry Vardon Trophy.
Meanwhile, World Number Seven Robert MacIntyre is hoping to benefit from recharging the batteries during his recent break when the DP World Tour Play-Offs get under way.
The 29-year-old enjoyed a fairy-tale fortnight in late September and early October, helping Europe to a memorable away Ryder Cup win at Bethpage Black before becoming the first Scot in 20 years to taste victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Since his success on home soil at the start of last month, MacIntyre has taken a well-deserved break and he is hopeful that will have a positive effect when he returns to action at Yas Links this week.
Player Quotes
Marco Penge: I think I have always believed in my ability, and I know what my potential is. I think my career’s been pretty good, in a way. I had a couple years on the Euro Pro, and then got my Challenge (HotelPlanner) Tour card and kind of COVID hit. So had a year, waited there. Then I had a year out being injured.
I feel like a lot of my progression has been really good. Just doesn’t look as good as it may seem. Seems like I’ve kind of come out of nowhere. But every tour that I’ve played, I’ve kind of got off the second year.
I still am in disbelief in a way that I am in the position that I am. Not from the point that I don’t think I’m good enough, just from the point of how fast it’s happened.
I know on Thursday morning when I step on the tee I’m going to have some adrenaline because I’m playing with one of the best players in the world for the first time.
I don’t think I’m going to be too nervous. It’s purely the adrenaline, similar to how I felt in the play-off at the Spanish Open. I’ve got a lot of things in place to prepare for that. Fully aware of it already in my head that that’s how I’m going to feel. But I clarified with my psychologist that I tend to play my best golf when I feel like that.
It’s nothing to be scared of. I just want to enjoy the moment and enjoy the experience, being in this position and playing with the top players of the world.
Robert MacIntyre: I’ve had a long season. I think the most I had off was two weeks. So to actually get three-and-a-half, four weeks off was nice, not just the physical part but for more the mental part.
Gave me time to do some gym work, try and get stronger, try and get fitter. Yeah, there’s positives. I’ve done the odd bit of practice but not much. I came out here Thursday or Friday last week. Got a bit of practice, a bit of sun, a bit of warm weather training and yeah, it’s been good.
It’s good to get back and see the guys you were brought up with, especially the Scottish guys. Spend time with them and spend time with the people that you don’t see a lot.
But again you’ve got a job to do. You come here with winning a golf tournament in mind, or trying to win a golf tournament and that’s my plan this week, to give myself a chance coming in on Sunday. Yeah, give myself a chance coming into (the end of) the Race to Dubai.
