By Edoardo Molinari
Three-time DP World Tour winner and one of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup Vice Captains Edoardo Molinari identifies the key holes at Yas Links and the players to watch out for as one of golf's leading data analysts.
Looking back: Paul Waring's victory in 2024
Waring has long been one of the Tour's great all-rounders and in 2024 he managed to put together almost every facet of his game to claim the biggest win of his career. The Englishman gained 0.6 shots per round off the tee, 0.9 shots on approach play, 0.5 shots with his wedges and a full shot on the greens. The only part of his game that did not quite come together was short game, where he lost arond 0.3 shots per round.
His approach play was particularly good from 100 to 175 yards, where he gained 1.4 shots per round, setting up good birdie oppoortunities upon which he could capitalise, gaining 1.5 shots per round from putts inside 13 feet.
The Fortinet holes to watch out for
Hole 3 (Par 4, 442 yards)
• A risk and reward hole off the tee. Laying up short on the right side of the fairway by the bunker looks the safe play for most players, but the scoring average from there is well over par at 4.29.
• Hitting driver is the aggressive play but it makes the hole play over par. You will hear some interesting player-caddie conversations on this tee.
• Only 10% of birdies against 27% of bogeys on this hole.
Hole 7 (Par 5, 591 yards)
• The easiest hole on the course with a scoring average of 4.50.
• Capable of providing plenty of excitement as around half of the players will score a birdie or better.
• The second shot is key as the entrance of the green is pretty narrow and it is difficult to get up and down if you are short sided, particularly from the right side of the green.
Hole 18 (Par 5, 646 yards)
• This finishing par five is one of the few par fives of the year that plays over par.
• When the wind blows from the north west it is particularly difficult, despite the fairway being very wide at nearly 80 yards with just a small bunker in the middle.
• Historically, there have been only 25% of birdies against 21% of bogeys or worse.
• When the wind blows, players will face a tricky decision on the tee shot: going left of the bunker is the risky strategy but they can get home in two shots, while going right means less risk but they will have to hit a good short iron to make a birdie
The Fortinet Threat Score demonstrates the average score to par for the field, enabling fans around the world to track in real time how players are faring. To keep up to date, access Course Stats via the Leaderboard tab.
What are the keys to performing well at Yas Links?
This is a course that suits long drivers, good short iron players and great putters. The fairways are the widest of the year, even though there is a big penalty for missing them, so you can separate yourself more than usual with good driving and putting. The greens are also very large, so when the wind blows there will be a higher number of lag putts than the average tournament on Tour. If it doesn’t blow this is an extremely low scoring week.
Players to watch
The stars
Rory McIlroy is clearly one of the favorites again. He loves playing in the Middle East and he is the best player in the field. He can take full advantage of his driving around Yas Links and should he have a good week on the greens he will be a force to contend with for everyone with any hopes of winning.
Marco Penge has been on great form this year. He is one of the best players in the world off the tee and could really take advantage of his skills here. He is also a great putter under pressure and will look to close the gap between him and Rory before the last event of the season.
Tyrrell Hatton is well suited to this course. He is one of the best short iron and wedge players in the game and he could do really well around here.
The outsiders
Rasmus Neergaard Petersen is fighting for one of the ten PGA TOUR cards. His great iron play should be very handy around here.
Alex Noren is enjoying a great second half of the year. One of his strengths is a great iron play combined with great mid-range putting and he can shoot some low scores. If it’s not too windy, he is someone to look out for.
Francesco Laporta is a great fit to this course. He is a great driver of the ball and likes to play in windy conditions. He needs a good week to sneak a spot into the DP World Tour Championship but did the same trick last year.
