Paul Waring of England was the somewhat surprise winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the penultimate event of the 2024 DP World Tour season.

Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton were among the 70-strong field, but it was Waring who took the top prize despite some nervous moments on the back nine as the Yas Links course.

The 39-year-old, who led by five shots after the end of the second round on Friday, was put under severe pressure by some star names, with Hatton briefly drawing level with his compatriot at the top of the leaderboard. However, a huge birdie putt on 17 edged Waring back in front and proved decisive.

Waring’s final-round 67 secured him just a second ever professional victory, more the six years after his first at the 2018 Nordea Masters (now Scandinavian Masters) in Sweden.

How much did Waring win at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship?

The annual tournament was first introduced in 2006, at which point it was one of three European Tour events held in the Arabian Peninsula. Initially, the total prize fund was $2 million.

By 2019, it was drawing many prominent players and was one of 11 tournaments included in the Rolex Series, which comprises the top events on the European Tour. By this point the prize fund had reached $7 million.

In 2022, the event, which had been hosted at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, was relocated to Yas Links, Abu Dhabi. The 2024 tournament boasts a total prize fund of $9 million, with Waring bagging more than $1.5 million.

Rory McIlroy fails to clinch 2024 Race to Dubai

In addition to falling just short in his attempt to win the event, McIlroy, who finished tied for third, also passed up the chance to clinch the Race to Dubai, the DP World Tour’s money list for the season.

The Northern Irishman had the good week he needed but was dependent on Thriston Lawrence, second in the rankings, finishing further down the field. The South African, though, ended in a tie for fifth, just enough to keep his hopes alive.

McIlroy will, however, almost certainly win the Race to Dubai for the sixth time in his career at next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Course.