The 2026 DP World Tour Play-Offs get underway on November 5, kicking off with the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
It is the penultimate event on the DP World Tour calendar, with Englishman Aaron Rai looking to defend his crown.
The 21st edition of the tournament returns to Yas Links, the home of the Abu Dhabi Championship since 2022.
Yas Links serves as the first-ever links-style course in the United Arab Emirates.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s golf writer Jay Kennedy goes through his four players to watch out for this week.
Tommy Fleetwood
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood will be hoping to go one better at Yas Links, following his playoff loss to Aaron Rai last year.
Fleetwood is a two-time Abu Dhabi champion, having won this event back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
He won by one stroke in 2017, ahead of Dustin Johnson and Pablo Larrazabal.
Fleetwood won by two strokes the following year, with fellow patriot Ross Fisher just behind him in second place.
In his last two DP World Tour starts, Fleetwood finished tied for fourth at Alfred Dunhill, and tied for fifth in his defence at the DP World India Championship.
He currently sits in 26th place in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Outright winner odds - 8/1 with Sky Bet
Adam Scott
Another popular name to watch out for is Adam Scott.
The former Masters champion returns to Yas Links after not qualifying for last year’s event.
The Australian is the only player, alongside Jack Nicklaus, to play in 100 consecutive majors.
So far in 2026, Scott has three top-five finishes to his name.
He finished fourth at the Genesis Invitational, tied for fourth at the Cadillac Championship, and tied for second at the BMW PGA Championship.
Scott also finished in the top 10 at the Open Championship.
The former world number one finished inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings, as he claimed a spot in the season-ending Tour Championship.
Scott currently sits in 49th place in the Race to Dubai standings.
Outright winner odds - 14/1 with Sky Bet
Aaron Rai
Another Englishman worth looking out for is Aaron Rai.
The defending champion returns to Abu Dhabi after he defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff last year.
Rai has undoubtedly become a bigger household name this year, due to his win at the PGA Championship.
In his two DP World Tour appearances this year, Rai came in a tie for second at Wentworth, and tied for 20th in India.
Despite missing out on a spot at the Tour Championship, he is currently sat in fifth place in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Outright winner odds - 16/1 with Sky Bet
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Kristoffer Reitan
The final man to look out for is Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan.
Reitan has been very impressive in his rookie PGA Tour season.
The Scandinavian won his first PGA Tour title in May, when he claimed the Truist Championship.
Reitan also won at the start of the 2026 DP World Tour season, wherein he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
In his most recent DP World Tour appearance, he finished in a tie for third at the FedEx Open de France.
Prior to the Tour Championship, he finished in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings.
Reitan is currently occupying 41st place in the Race to Dubai standings.
He finished 22nd in last year’s Abu Dhabi Championship.
Outright winner odds - 22/1 with Sky Bet
Final thoughts
The DP World Tour season is edging towards its conclusion, with all of the 70 players in the field hoping to reach next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
However, only the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai will qualify for the final event of the campaign.
The hot and humid climate of Abu Dhabi will make the links-style setup very intriguing.
It will be interesting to see who earns the bragging rights this week.
