Aaron Rai shares take on Tommy Fleetwood after beating him in Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship playoffs

Aaron Rai picked up a massive win at the Yas Links Abu Dhabi Golf Club on November 9. The golfer initially ended up the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship tied with Tommy Fleetwood on 25 under par. Both English players competed in a tense playoff, which Rai won after birdieing the very first hole.

It was a huge moment for the 30-year-old golfer, who hugged Fleetwood on the greens of the playoff hole after winning the whole thing. In an interview following the victory, Aaron Rai praised Tommy Fleetwood, claiming that he is one of the best golfers in the world as well as an incredible person. Flushing It Golf reported Rai's statement in one of their latest X posts.

According to that post, Rai stated,

"He’s an unbelievable player, and an even better person."

Apart from this, Aaron Rai also discussed his last round in a different interview. There, the golfer claimed that he was not thinking about Tommy Fleetwood's performance or where he stood, but rather Rai was all in about his own game so that he could give it his all. The golfer said (as quoted by ASAP Sports),

"Honestly, I wasn't really paying that much attention to where Tommy was. I knew I had to just stick in there to finish strong myself to even have any kind of chance. Making that up-and-down on 15, hit a great approach shot into 16. Made a putt, and that definitely helped to give confidence and belief to have a chance."

Following his tremendous victory, Rai also mentioned how his wife played an important influence on his performance.

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Aaron Rai states that his wife had an "absolutely huge" influence on his victory

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2025 - Day Four - Source: Getty

Aaron Rai has been looking for a win for more than a year. The last tournament that the English golfer won was the 2024 Wyndham Championship, which was held in August 2024. The 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is a huge win for Rai, and he discussed it in an interview, as well as how his wife had a key role in it.

The golfer stated (as quoted by ASAP Sports),

"Huge, absolutely huge. It's hard for me to really sum up how much of an effect she's had on me as a person, and also that actually feed into my golf. This year has been truly special with us getting married, caddying for her, being with her, getting married, practising, and playing together. It's just a peaceful thing to be able to share different parts of our lives with one another and be with each other every step of the way. Yeah, very special."

For his amazing win, Aaron Rai grabbed a whopping $1,520,000 from the tournament's $9 million prize pool.

Edited by Anurag Bhardwaj