Why are some athletes skipping the DP World Tour Championship?

Why are some athletes skipping the DP World Tour Championship?

Not attending

Within the top 50 in the Race to Dubai standings, four men have opted out of the season's final competition. 14th-ranked Matt Fitzpatrick will not be making the trip, along with his brother Alex, who is ranked 35th. 

Matt Fitzpatrick was last year's winner of the World Tour Championship but decided against attending this year due to the ongoing war in the region. 

"Being completely honest as things stand right now, I would say I'm not that comfortable, " Fitzpatrick said in September. "A few things have obviously changed for me, perspective and stuff. I've had a child in August, and that obviously kind of changes things a bit more."

Joining the Fitzpatrick brothers are 20th-ranked Shane Lowry and 48th-ranked Min Woo Lee. 

Among the four ranked in the top 50, three other players ranked in the top 70 made decisions to stay home as well. Those players are Justin Rose (69th), Robert MacIntyre (61st) and Ludvig Aberg (54th). 

Despite being outside of the top 50 cutoff, Aberg had two opportunities to qualify. The first would have been with a strong performance last weekend in Abu Dhabi and the other would be due to the four names ranked ahead of him dropping out. 

While not all of the athletes have explicitly stated their reasoning for their absence, the regional conflict is sure to be at the top of the list. 

Still competing

Not all athletes competing are worried, despite recent attacks on U.A.E. soil and the United States advising those to "reconsider travel" with a level three travel advisory warning. 

One of the competitors not worried is McIlroy, who has stated, "I don't think I would ever feel unsafe. You know, even if something were to happen, I still wouldn't feel unsafe. You know, the UAE has great defense systems."

McIlroy went on to say that these championships are important to him as he aims for his fifth straight Road to Dubai Championship. Despite everything, McIlroy added that, "I don't feel like there's any risk coming here, but if I did feel like there's a risk, I feel like the reward is worth it."

This sentiment is shared amongst the rest of the field still competing this weekend. 

Going forward

This weekend marks the 18th year of the DP World Tour Championship being played in the UAE.

Despite the regional conflict having already been ongoing for quite some time, the DP World Tour did not move either of the events while they "continue to monitor the situation and take advice from our international travel advisors." 

In mid-October, the Asian Tour postponed the PIF Saudi International after missile and drone strikes at the Riyadh airport. The tournament was initially scheduled for November 18-21.

But considering everything, the DP World Tour Championship will still take place this weekend, barring any last-minute changes.