McIlroy Trails Chacarra by 1,000 Points Before Abu Dhabi

By Staff Writer

November 5, 2026

1 min read

Ed Balaun (supergolfdude) / CC BY-SA via flickr

Key takeaways

Rory McIlroy trails Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra by just under 1,000 points heading into the Abu Dhabi Championship.
A win would give McIlroy a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title, tying Colin Montgomerie, and a fifth in a row.
McIlroy has played the Abu Dhabi event 14 times without winning, despite 10 top-three finishes.
The Abu Dhabi Championship winner collects 1,500 Race to Dubai points, with the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to follow.

Rory McIlroy arrives at this week's Abu Dhabi Championship sitting third in the Race to Dubai standings, trailing leader Eugenio Chacarra by just under 1,000 points with Patrick Reed also in the mix before the season's final two events.

Can McIlroy finally win in Abu Dhabi?

McIlroy has made 14 starts in the event and has never lifted the trophy, despite finishing in the top three 10 times — four runner-up finishes and six thirds. He has missed the cut only once and has never finished worse than T12 when he has played the weekend. Last year produced his closest call yet: a final-round 62 left him one shot shy of the playoff between Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood, which Rai won.

"It's amazing being in contention that often but not getting over the line," McIlroy said.

What is at stake in the Race to Dubai?

McIlroy has won the Race to Dubai in each of the last four seasons he has claimed it by leading the standings into the finale in Dubai. With 1,500 points on offer to this week's Abu Dhabi champion and an even larger total awarded at the DP World Tour Championship, McIlroy does not need to win outright to stay in contention for an eighth title — but a strong week would make the math considerably easier heading into the season finale.