DP World Tour Playoffs rocked by notable absentees in Abu Dhabi

The DP World Tour Playoffs have suffered an early blow, with a host of high-profile absentees from next week's Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

Several European Ryder Cup stars, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Bob MacIntyre and Ludvig Aberg, will all be missing from the opening event at Yas Links Golf Club.

Alex Fitzpatrick and reigning Open champion Ryan Fox are also absent from the field.

It remains unclear at this stage whether the players' decisions are linked to concerns about travelling to the United Arab Emirates amid ongoing regional tensions or simply reflect their individual schedules.

Matt Fitzpatrick raised questions about travelling to the Middle East when speaking at the BMW PGA at Wentworth last month. 

Whether those concerns influenced his decision to miss Abu Dhabi is unconfirmed.

It also remains to be seen whether Fitzpatrick will choose to defend his DP World Tour Championship title the following week.

Fitzpatrick has won the DP World Tour's season finale in Dubai a joint-record three times, alongside Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.

The list of notable Abu Dhabi absentees comes after reports that the DP World Tour had explored moving its season-ending Playoffs to Europe, with Spain and Portugal discussed as potential contingency destinations.

However, the DP World Tour's stated intention remains to stage both events in the UAE, with Abu Dhabi followed by the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

• Best Golf Courses in Dubai

The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship is scheduled to take place at Yas Links from November 5-8, before the season concludes on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Despite a dent in the Yas Links field, the tournament is still stacked with superstar quality, headlined by McIlroy and Rahm.

The absence of a number of the top 70 available players in Abu Dhabi, however, has significant implications on the Race to Dubai.

Fox is the highest-ranked absentee, sitting sixth in the standings, and the New Zealander's absence means he will have little to no chance of winning the Race to Dubai. 

Fitzpatrick is ranked 10th in the season race, with Lowry 16th and Alex Fitzpatrick 24th. 

Aberg, meanwhile, sits 45th, meaning the Swede faces a battle to secure his place in the season finale, if of course he intends to play. 

MacIntyre is 56th and Rose is 69th, meaning both players are now guaranteed to miss out on the DP World Tour Championship, which is limited to the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai following the Abu Dhabi Championship.

The opening Playoffs event features the top 70 available players in the Race to Dubai, with the top 50 then progressing onto Dubai. 

The absentees have now opened the door for players further down the standings to climb into contention for a place in the season finale.

GolfMagic has contacted the DP World Tour for further comment about individual players' absences, and whether further changes to the field are expected given Middle East tensions.  

Eugenio Chacarra heads into the DP World Tour Playoffs leading the Race to Dubai, with Patrick Reed and McIlroy currently sitting second and third, respectively.

Casey Jarvis is fourth, with Aaron Rai rounding out the top five as the leading contenders in the battle for the season-long race.

Chacarra and Reed are both chasing their first Race to Dubai crown, while McIlroy is bidding to secure a fifth consecutive title and an eighth overall. Another triumph would see the Northern Irishman match Colin Montgomerie's record of eight European Order of Merit titles. 

Abu Dhabi Championship Field - in order of Race to Dubai position