ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Paul Waring carded a 6-under 66 to win the Abu Dhabi Championship for the biggest victory of his career on Sunday. The 229th-ranked Englishman was one stroke ahead overnight and finished on 24 under. He even surprised himself at how smoothly the fourth and final round went.

Journeyman Paul Waring of England birdied the final two holes to fend off late challenges from Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy and win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Englishman Paul Waring had some of the best golfers in the world chasing him down, but he held on to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Paul Waring rose to the top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday when he successfully fended off a murderers' row of pursuers to claim a late-season victory. Firing a final-round 66 at Yas Links,

The nearly man has to wait a little longer, but for the journeyman everything has changed in an instant. While Rory McIlroy’s tie for third here at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday was not quite enough to wrap up the Race to Dubai a week early,

At 24-under total, Waring was two shots ahead of English compatriot Tyrrell Hatton (64). World No. 3 Rory McIlroy (64) finished in a three-way tie for third place at 21-under alongside Matt Wallace (63) and Thorbjoern Olesen (66).

The Northern Irishman passed up a golden opportunity to claim his sixth Race to Dubai a week early after finishing joint-third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday, yet still received a lucrat