ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

Ireland’s Liam Nolan won his first HotelPlanner Tour title in fine style at the Abu Dhabi Challenge, holding his nerve to close out a four-stroke victory at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.

The 26-year-old from Galway started the final round with a two-stroke lead. He closed with a five-under-par 65 to finish on 21 under par, four ahead of Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, with Italy’s Matteo Cristoni a further shot back in third.

Nolan made his move early. After three opening pars, he birdied the driveable par-4 fourth and then rattled off three in a row from the sixth, holing a monster putt at the eighth to turn in 31.

Pulkkanen had bogeyed the first, and from there Nolan’s lead never dropped below three. When the Finn birdied the 12th, Nolan responded immediately with a pinpoint approach at the 13th to reach 21 under. He dropped his only shot of the day at the 16th before signing off with a birdie at the par-5 18th.

“Everything from what’s the worst that can happen to what’s the best that can happen is running through your head all the time,” said Nolan later. “A four-shot lead, while it might look good, is nothing. It felt to me like it was nothing. The mind was racing a little bit, but I played really well today and a bit more conservative in places.

“I’ve had times where I’ve had four-shot leads and not won, so it’s nice to be able to learn from everything and win out here today. The par putt on 17 gave me the four-shot cushion coming down the last. If I’d missed that, there would have been a little bit to do. When that went in, I felt like I could relax.”

Nolan was full of praise for Al Ain and the venue. “It’s a beautiful city. I was here last year for the first time,” he said. “I love it in the UAE. It’s always a nice place to come to, and this course is amazing, with the horse racing track around it, so to win out here was a really cool experience.”

The victory lifts Nolan 31 places to 12th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, inside the top 15 who will earn DP World Tour cards for 2027, with two events in China and the Grand Final in Mallorca still to come.

“You can’t have a chance to get to the DP World Tour if you’re not in the Grand Final,” he said. “I’m probably thinking more about this win right now than the Rankings.”

The Abu Dhabi Challenge brought together 144 players from 25 countries. His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan played in the tournament’s pro-am as guest of honour.