The DP World Tour is heading to Abu Dhabi this week with one of its strongest fields of the season. But the golf will be played against a backdrop of security concerns in the region that haven’t gone away.
The U.S. Department of State continues to list the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi, at Level 3: Reconsider Travel, citing the risks of terrorism and armed conflict. The advisory, issued Oct. 23, also points to potential security risks involving critical infrastructure and warns that Iranian-supported Houthi hostilities in the region have included attacks on civilian airports and other infrastructure.
The State Department also warns that terrorist attacks in the UAE could occur with little or no warning and potentially target tourist
locations, transportation hubs, shopping areas and government facilities. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory Notice to Air Missions or Special Federal Aviation Regulation because of risks to civil aviation in and around the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
In fact, tournament officials have established an emergency protocol for this week: Any official alert received on mobile phones will trigger the immediate suspension of play and evacuation of the course.
🚨 EL DP WORLD TOUR SE PREPARA PARA CUALQUIER ESCENARIO EN ABU DHABI
— Jacobo Pastor (@jpastorgolf) November 2, 2026
Este es el protocolo de emergencia para esta semana: una alerta oficial en los móviles supondrá la suspensión inmediata del juego y la evacuación del campo. pic.twitter.com/qKxnpIp4C3
Against that backdrop, the DP World Tour returns from a week off for the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links, the second-to-last tournament of the season and the first of two consecutive events scheduled for the UAE.
The tournament has attracted a loaded field. Defending champion Aaron Rai is joined by Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton. Chacarra, Reed, McIlroy, Casey Jarvis and Rai, the top five in the Race to Dubai, are all scheduled to compete.
Fleetwood will be chasing his third Abu Dhabi title after winning the tournament in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018.
Adam Scott, Jon Rahm, Kristoffer Reitan, Stefano Mazzoli, Joe Dean, Nacho Elvira and Adrian Meronk are also in the field. Rahm will make his Yas Links debut.
The decision to proceed in the UAE comes less than two months after Matt Fitzpatrick publicly questioned whether he would feel comfortable returning to the region for the season-ending stretch.
“Being completely honest as things stand right now, I would say I'm not that comfortable,” Fitzpatrick said in September ahead of the BMW PGA Championship.
Fitzpatrick, a three-time winner of the DP World Tour Championship, including last year’s title in a playoff, said becoming a father in August had changed the way he viewed the decision.
“That obviously kind of changes things, I guess, a bit more,” he said. “I think for me, as things are right now, it would feel a little bit weird, given what I'm reading elsewhere. Things can change overnight, I'm sure.”
At the time, Fitzpatrick also expressed frustration that players were still waiting for clarity about the final two tournaments.
“Obviously I know the Tour has been on this for a long time,” Fitzpatrick said. “It's obviously frustrating that the decision hasn't been made so you can plan what's going on. But I understand there's obviously a lot of moving parts to that, and it's obviously difficult to make these decisions.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: How dangerous is Abu Dhabi for DP World Tour event? Level 3 and emergency protocol dangerous
