England’s Paul Waring arrived at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship simply looking to extend his season but now has the golfing world as his oyster after a life-changing Rolex Series victory.
Waring went into the first of back-to-back DP World Tour Play-Offs 48th in the season-long standings and initially just looking to stay inside the top 50 to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, the final event of the campaign and played in his home city of Dubai.
His expectations increased after he followed an opening-round 64 with a course-record 61, giving him a five-shot advantage over a star-studded leaderboard, before holding a one-stroke lead going into the final day at Yas Links despite a third-round 73.
The 39-year-old then showed nerves of steel with a bogey-free 66 on the final day, with a birdie-birdie finish seeing him finish two strokes clear of Tyrrell Hatton and claim a first worldwide victory since 2018.
"It was quite an easy day really, wasn't it?" Waring said about the smoothness of his victory. "It just means so much. To actually keep control of myself in the way that I did today I'm really proud of myself."
Victory parachutes Waring to fifth in the Race to Dubai standings and is set to earn him a lucrative PGA Tour card, with the top 10 players in the final rankings - not already exempt - securing dual membership for the following season.
The Birkenhead-born golfer has been part of the DP World Tour since earning his card at Qualifying School in 2007 but only had one victory to his name, the 2018 Nordea Masters on his 200th start, having struggled with injuries for several seasons.
Waring posted six top-ten finishes a year later as he reached a career-high of world No. 66, only to struggle the next two seasons before claiming the runner-up spot twice on the DP World Tour in 2022.
Tied-third and tied-sixth results were among five top-tens across 2024 ahead of his win in Abu Dhabi, which earned him over €1,400,000 - more in one event than his yearly earnings for each season apart from 2019 on the DP World Tour.
"I've been knocking on the door a few times," Waring explained. "I had a few seconds. I've been in and around a few times. To get over the line again is fantastic and to control it the way I have as well, especially today.
"I thought I might have let it slip [in the third round] but to keep a lead the way I was playing, I knew I wouldn't have two days in a row playing like that. I felt like I had another gear that I needed.
"I don't want to sound over the top or anything, but I felt like my golf game has been in such a good place over the last year. I just haven't put it all together. It's nice to put it all together and get a tournament like this."
Hatton, Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy and English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace were all in the chasing pack on a thrilling final day in Abu Dhabi, with Waring holing a 40-foot birdie at the 17th and taking advantage of the par-five last to close out his victory.
"A lot of players and a lot of us in the media were questioning whether Waring could get over the line and win," Sky Sports' Wayne 'Radar' Riley said. "Not because of his talent, but because of the quality of the people behind him putting the pressure on.
"He was really having none of it. This is a life-changing win for Waring. Not only financially, but this will move up significantly in the world rankings and help him push towards getting back into the majors.
"This looks like getting him on to the PGA Tour and will see him play some big events in 2025, so there are a lot of things to look forward to for him. Cinderella stories in our game happen a lot and this is one of them, it really is.
"When you're bouncing your grandchildren on your knee and they ask you 'What did you win?', he can say 'I won in Abu Dhabi, I won against the best players in the world'. There was Rory McIlroy in the field, major champions everywhere and he beat them to win a proper event."
Waring now faces the prospect of splitting his time between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour over the next year, something that may pose logistical challenges but provide golfing opportunities that he is excited to embrace.
"I was quite happy living in Dubai to be honest with you," Waring said. "It's going to be a long way to travel, a long commute over to America. But I'm looking forward to that. Absolutely made up."
Waring later added to the DP World Tour: "It [the PGA Tour] is a new chapter, new challenge and something new for me to find if I like it and see how much I enjoy it.
"I love the DP World Tour, I absolutely love it. I love the people and I love playing here and I have lots of great mates, but it's another chapter for me now - especially at my advanced age."
Waring will also have one on a possible push for Ryder Cup qualification over the next year, propelling himself into consideration for Luke Donald's European side with Abu Dhabi victory, with Riley interested to see how he tackles competing on both tours.
"It [winning] is going to propel him [Waring] forward," Riley added. "We must remember that 39 years of age now is not old in the modern game. The rewards are there to be had and he, after all the work he has done, can reap the rewards.
"I've done it myself, playing PGA Tour golf and the DP World Tour and it's very difficult. Will he do it a lot? He might say no, but I'm sure he'll play some of them. He has got two years locked in on the DP World Tour now, so he could go over and base himself full-time in America. We shall see."
Who will win the Race to Dubai? Watch the DP World Tour Championship this week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage starts on Thursday from 7am on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream the DP World Tour and more with NOW.
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