By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
World No 19 among a group of big names to sit out first of two season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs
Bob MacIntyre is among a group of big names sitting out the first of two DP World Tour season-ending Play-Offs in the Middle East.
The world No 19 decided not to enter next week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links after much deliberation about the ongoing conflict in the region.
Other notable absentees are Open champion Ryan Fox, Ryder Cup duo Shane Lowry and Ludvig Aberg, former Genesis Scottish Open winner Min Woo Lee and Korean Si Woo Kim.
Fox had been announced for the event along with defending champion Aaron Rai as recently as last week, but the Kiwi’s name wasn’t on the entry list, which is headed by seven-time Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy.
The list of absentees has meant the cut off for next week’s 70-man field going down to the 80th-placed player on the Race to Dubai Ranking.
The top 50 after the Abu Dhabi event are eligible for the season-ending DP World Tour for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
Entries for the $10 million finale are still open, meaning there is still a possibility of MacIntyre teeing up in that event for the eighth year in a row.
The Scottish No 1 currently sits 56th in the Race to Dubai and, based on the Abu Dhabi field, that would give him a chance of getting in if he decided to make the journey.
Both MacIntyre and Matt Fitzpatrick first expressed doubt about their participation in the Play-Offs due to a combination of the Middle East conflict and parenthood during the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September.
“Being completely honest as things stand right now, I would say I'm not that comfortable,” admitted Fitzpatrick, who is due to defend the title in the DP World Tour Championship, at the time.
“No, I wouldn't be that comfortable. A few things have obviously changed for me, perspective and stuff. I had a child in August, and that obviously kind of changes things, I guess, a bit more.”
