We preview this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships set to take place at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club between Thursday 18 January and Sunday 21 January.
The European Tour starts its lucrative desert swing with the prestigious Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships. Tommy Fleetwood’s brilliant victory over the likes of Johnson and Fowler last year set the tone for what was an epic season for the Englishman, culminating in his coronation as the Race to Dubai winner.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy provide the glitz and glamour in a field that contains nine of the world’s top twenty golfers. This event really represents the first opportunity for any player to define themselves in a hugely competitive field.
Abu Dhabi HSBC Champs | Thursday 18 January – Sunday 21 January | Abu Dhabi Golf Club
The Abu Dhabi Golf Course was designed by Peter Harradine and opened in 1998. This will be the 13th renewal of this event and players can expect typical desert conditions. The 7,583 yard par 72 certainly has the length to becalm the shorter players. It is a long, flat course that is heavily bunkered. The Paspalum fairways are quite exposed while the Bermuda greens measure a fairly speedy 12.5 on the Stimp. The rough is fairly penal on a course that rewards strong iron play. Fleetwood led the pack last year for greens in regulation, while McIlroy also led in greens in regulation in his three placed finishes.
Fleetwood aims to defend his title against a high quality field that has no shortage of contenders. Dustin Johnson’s last outing was that comprehensive 8-shot victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He will be looking to exorcise the demons of that narrow defeat to Fleetwood last year. Rory McIlroy will be hoping to reinsert himself in the broader golfing consciousness following a year of massive disappointment. Grace narrowly missed out on victory at Glendower while Justin Rose was the hottest golfer in the world at the tail end of 2017.
Past Winners
2017: Tommy Fleetwood (-17)
2016: Ricky Fowler (-16)
2015: Gary Stal (-19)
2014: Pablo Larrazabal (-14)
2013: Jamie Donaldson (-14)
To Win Outright
Dustin Johnson 5/1 | Rory McIlroy 7/1 | Justin Rose 8/1 | Henrik Stenson 14/1 | Paul Casey 18/1
Value Bets
Branden Grace- To Win 28/1, To Place 48/10
I clearly was erroneous in doubting the prowess of South African Grace last week. He fell three shots short of Chris Paisley in the quest for his national title and comes into an area of the world that has been very kind to him. The two-time winner of the Qatar Masters has run into form at just the right time. His prodigious length suits the flat, exposed courses in the Middle-East. He also has a tendency to rise to the occasion in illustrious company. His last two finishes here read T5 and T13 respectively, and he could represent decent value in the place markets.
Bernd Wiesberger- To Win 45/1, To Place 19/2
While not exactly firing on all cylinders in Thomas Bjorn’s EurAsia Cup winning side, he did manage to win his final singles match and should feel fairly confident going into this week. His imperious long game suits this course, with a sixth place finish in 2015 backed up by an impressive fourth last year. He is a former winner of the Open de France at Le Gof National, a course that correlates well with this course: both Pablo Larrazabal and Marti Kaymer have also won both events. He has five top six finishes in the Middle East and could be something of a dark horse this week.
Dean Burmester- To Win 100/1, To Place 22/1
I don’t generally enjoy backing the same player in back-to-back weeks- particularly if they failed to deliver on my hard earned faith in the previous week- but Burmester still represents outstanding value at 100/1. After shooting an opening 77 last week he was virtually out of contention, but a second round 67 took him to the weekend and his huge ball-striking should stand him in good stead this week. He finished seventh here last year as well as managing a fourth place finish in the season ending DP World Tour Championship.
The Man to Beat- Rory McIlroy- To Win 7/1, To Place 15/10
It is almost somewhat miraculous that Rory is yet to win this title. Let’s consider his Middle-East form: he has eleven successive top 10 finishes in this area of the world, including four victories in Dubai. He has two victories in both the Dubai Desert Classic and DP World Tour Championship. He has lost here by a single shot on three separate occasions. So to say that he is due here is something of an understatement. His game perfectly suits the exposed, flat terrain on show, and I think that he could reclaim the taste for victory that has eluded him for so long.
