Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick are among those that will not be playing in the tournaments

Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick and Ryan Fox are among the high-profile players who will not play in the DP World Tour's playoffs owing to safety concerns in the Middle East.

The European tour's two-tournament playoff sequence gets under way with the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on November 5, followed by the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the following week.

The United Arab Emirates found itself embroiled in the United States and Israel's conflict with Iran earlier this year, after Tehran launched drone and missile strikes on vital infrastructure throughout the region.

While tensions have subsided in recent months, a number of golfers have expressed reservations about travelling to the area.

However, Rory McIlroy has no such concerns and will tee it up alongside fellow Race to Dubai contenders Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed, as well as Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott.

McIlroy said last month: "Not for me. If the local governments feel like it's safe to put on these events, they are not going to put their citizens or people visiting in harm's way, I imagine. I love the Middle East. I have a lot of friends there, and I'm looking forward to going back for sure."

The 70-strong entry list for the playoff opener was confirmed yesterday, with a number of eligible players opting against making the journey. Open Champion Fox is positioned sixth in the Race to Dubai standings and had an outside chance of securing the season-long title, but the New Zealander will be absent.

Fitzpatrick is placed 10th in the standings, but he has recently become a father and expressed reservations last month about competing in the region. His brother, Alex, has similarly declined the opportunity to take part.

Lowry, Min Woo Lee, Ludvig Aberg, Bob MacIntyre, Si Woo Kim, Justin Rose and Ryan Gerard had also secured top-70 positions but will not be participating in the play-offs.

It remains unclear whether safety concerns or scheduling issues have prompted players to withdraw.

Former world No. 1 Rose, 46, indicated he intended to have a low-key end to the year to ensure he was prepared for 2027.

World No. 3 Fitzpatrick admitted at the BMW PGA Championship last month that he had concerns due to the volatile security situation.

"Being completely honest as things stand right now, I would say I'm not that comfortable," he said at the time. "No, I wouldn't be that comfortable.

"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, I guess, a bit more.

"Right now, it would feel a little bit weird, given what I'm reading elsewhere. Things can change overnight, I'm sure. I think it seems to be going down that path of things getting better.

"I think if the Tour does go, I'm sure they have had the best advice possible on what that looks like. As things stand right now, I wouldn't necessarily be too keen on going."