Paul Waring Completes Sensational Abu Dhabi Championship Victory

Paul Waring saw off the cream of Europe’s golfers with a sensational two-stroke victory in the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links.

It was just his second victory on the DP World Tour and he did it in style, with birdies at the final two holes to beat fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton. Waring also had Matt Wallace, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Thorbjorn Olesen nipping at his heels all day but was never passed. 

McIlroy will be left to rue a triple-bogey six at the 17th on Friday and a seven at the 18th on Saturday, but make no mistake - 39-year-old Waring deserved this victory, which takes him to fifth place in the Race to Dubai and secures a PGA Tour card for 2025. It is the stuff of dreams.

With tongue firmly in cheek, he said: "It was quite an easy day, wasn’t it? 

"It just means so much. To keep control of myself today in the way I did, I am so proud of myself. Holing a par save on the 15th was the key and the huge putt I holed for birdie on the 17th, I saw the line all the way and knew I was going to hole it. I was calm all day, although my legs were shaking over that final putt. It feels a bit like a dream but my game has been in a really good place for more than a year. I drove it well, hit some great iron shots and putted great."

Race to Dubai leader McIlroy shot a 64 to finish in a three-way tie for third on 21 under, alongside Wallace and Olesen.

Hatton also finished with a 64, birdieing the final two holes to move level with Waring on 22 under, but Waring reclaimed the outright lead with a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th and rolled in another at the last to seal victory. 

Waring put himself into position with a course-record 61 in the second round - the lowest of his career - but saw a five-shot lead dwindle to just one after a third-round 73. 

The DP World Tour's biggest names were circling, with two-time winner Fleetwood and former Open winner Lowry also in the mix. 

Fleetwood eventually finished in a four-way tie for sixth on 20 under after his closing 67, while Waring's playing partner Lowry dropped three shots in the final six holes to finish back in 13th on 18 under. 

McIlroy also delivered a strong challenge and while his closing round of eight under par was not enough for victory, he was happy to finish one shot ahead of South African Thriston Lawrence - his closest challenger in the Race to Dubai. 

"I set myself a target with six holes to go and I achieved that target," said the Northern Irishman, who now looks set to be crowned Europe's top golfer for a sixth time at next weekend's season finale in Dubai. 

"I was glad to make the four at the last and give myself a little bit more of a cushion going into Dubai."

Who is Paul Waring?

Paul Waring was born in Birkenhead on February 2, 1985. He had a successful amateur career which included winning the English Amateur in 2005. 

He turned professional in 2007 and had almost immediate success on the Challenge Tour, losing out in a play-off to Felipe Aguilar at the Postbank Challenge in German. 

He has since competed on the DP World Tour after gaining his card at that year’s qualifying school.

Waring finished tied for third place in the 2013 Portugal Masters and 2015 Malaysian Open. In February 2017 he had his highest finish on the tour when he was runner-up in the Joburg Open. This event was one of the Open Qualifying Series events for the 2017 Open and he gained an entry to the Open for the first time since 2008. In April, Waring finished third in the Trophee Hassan II.

He earned his first DP World Tour win in his 200th event at the 2018 Nordea Masters in Sweden. 

This was just his second success in his 332nd start. He has made 202 cuts, with three runner-up finishes, six thirds and 27 top 10s.

He started the week in 48th place in the Race to Dubai, but the win takes him to fifth and ensures he will have his best ever finish to a season. It also secures a PGA Tour card for 2025.

He averages 296.54 yards from the tee, hits 56.65% of fairways and finds 69.81% of greens in regulation. He gets up and down from the sand 63.22% of the time, averages 28.90 putts per round and has a stroke average of 70.10.