Aaron Rai is a one-time PGA Tour winner and two-time DP World Tour winner. But on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, Rai will battle some of the game’s best players for what is likely to be the biggest win of his career. And that’s mostly because of an incredible swing on Friday that ended in an albatross.
Here’s what you need to know.
Aaron Rai opens up about rare albatross
To say Rai began his second round of HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship 2025 with a bang would be a huge understatement.
After an opening-round 66 left him at six under, Rai quickly made an easy par on 1. Then he delivered some serious fireworks on 2.
Yas Links’ par-5 2 was playing 528 yards on Friday. This may be long for your average recreational player, but it is very accessible for professionals. Rai rammed his car 322 meters into the middle of the fairway. That set him up with a 214-yard shot to reach the pin.
Hoping to create a good image of the eagle, Rai did one better. He sent his putt flying into the air, then watched it land on the green and roll into a perfect line into the cup for an albatross.
“I think we had about 185 yards to go. The wind was a little down to the left, and the green was so fast that it sloped back and forth, laying a few feet on the green,” Rai said, explaining the shot after his round. “I actually caught it a little clear of the face, the line was great. It ended up around the front edge and followed down there. You couldn’t see it from the back of the fairway, so it was a nice surprise.”
The three-under score on a single hole improved Rai’s score to nine in an instant.
Rai holds the lead with Fleetwood, McIlroy trailing
When he finished on 18, Rai had shot an eight-under 64 in Round 2, which left him tied for the lead with the world No. 5 Tommy Fleetwood.
But Rai didn’t give up in Saturday’s third round.
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He could only manage a birdie on the second hole in the 3rd round, but that was one of five birdies Rai drained on the front nine. He added two more birdies on the back nine against a bogey to finish with another six-under 66.
His third straight stellar round put Ray in the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. Even more incredible? This week’s event is Rai’s first competitive tournament since the BMW PGA Championship in September, nearly two months ago.
Fleetwood, who shot 67 on Saturday, will start Sunday a shot behind Rai. Fleetwood is looking for his second consecutive DP World Tour victory after triumphing in the India DP World Championship in October.
Number 2 in the world Rory McIlroy also shot a 66 in the third round. That has him at 14 under, six shots behind Rai with 18 holes to play.
