Five Golfers to Watch in Abu Dhabi

The European Tour kicks off its new season this week with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. The tour will feature 42 events in 24 countries, concluding with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in November.

The HSBC Championship, held on the same course every year since 2006, is one of four tournaments. in the Rolex series.

Here are five players to watch:

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy, 31, from Northern Ireland, is coming. He took his last victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in the fall of 2019. It was the same year that he captured the FedEx Cup of the PGA Tour for the second time.

The Abu Dhabi course certainly appeals to McIlroy. , who finished second in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He has not played in the event since 2018, when he finished in tie for third place.

Last year was not one of McIlroy & # 39; s best. He recorded some very good rounds, but the problem was he was able to get four of them together in the same week.

A good example were the Masters in November. In the past three days, McIlroy shot 66, 67 and 69, one shot lower than the champion, Dustin Johnson. McIlroy had started the tournament with a three-over-75. It was just too much ground to make up for.

McIlroy, who was No. 1 in the world before the pandemic, has not won a major since 2014. Currently No. 6 in the rankings, he can make it to the Grand Slam with an April win at the Masters .

Justin Thomas

Thomas, 27, ranked No. 3 in the world, plays in Abu Dhabi for the first time. He's one of the favorites every time he saves it. He won three tournaments on the PGA Tour last season and now has 13 wins in his career.

About two weeks ago, Thomas finished third at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii with a final round 66. His most costly mistake came when he bogeyed No. 17 when he shot a shot from the play-off between Harris English and Joaquin Niemann.

Thomas & # 39; s strong play at the tournament was overshadowed by his use of an anti-gay slur after missing a putt. He later apologized.

In his three previous European Tour starts, his best result was a draw for eighth place at the HNA Open de France 2018.

Lee Westwood

Westwood, the defending champion and European Tour Golfer of the Year in 2020, is still quite capable at the age of 47.

At last year's event in Abu Dhabi, he stopped Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Victor Perez from winning his 25th European Tour victory. The victories have been achieved in four different decades.

Westwood, the former world number 1 player, will also have the opportunity this week to increase his chances of qualifying for the 2021 Ryder Cup, which will be held. in Wisconsin.

He was a member of the European team 10 times since 1997 and only Nick Faldo has appeared in more matches.

A blot in Westwood's career is the lack of a major championship. He has come close with nine top-three finishes. In the 2019 British Open, he finished in joint fourth place.

Westwood has been an excellent ball forward for years. His short game, however, was not of the same level.

Tommy Fleetwood

Fleetwood, who turned 30 on Tuesday, has had great success at the Abu Dhabi course. He won the event in 2017 and 2018 and finished in second place in 2020.

Fleetwood, number 19 in the world ranking, is also still chasing his first major title. He has been in conflict several times. In the 2018 United States Open, he fired a final round 63 to get one shot back at the winner, Brooks Koepka.

In 2020 Fleetwood finished in the top three four times. Nevertheless, he knows that the year could have been much better.

"There are areas of my game where I felt like I was struggling," he said. "My long race was not up to the standard I think it should be."

Still, making the Ryder Cup team is well within his reach.

The event, said Fleetwood, "is something you never want to miss." Fleetwood was 4-1 for the European team in 2018.

Another goal is to reach Tokyo.

"The Olympic Games are an opportunity that I want to experience and represent my country," he said.

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick closed the 2020 season with a striking win at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. Tied for the lead on his way to the final round, he took a bird's-eye view of five of the first seven holes, winning a shot over Westwood. It was his sixth victory in the European Tour and the first since the Omega European Masters of 2018.

The victory in Dubai couldn't have come at a better time. In his previous 10 tournaments, he had missed four cuts.

"It was absolutely great to be back to victory after so much second place in the past two seasons," said Fitzpatrick.

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“I think any win or good result gives you some confidence, so hopefully I can continue the momentum into 2021. I would say that in the weeks leading up to the event, I did some great swing work with my coach, Mike. Walker, and it certainly showed. "

Over the years, Fitzpatrick, No. 17 in the world, has revised his view of the Abu Dhabi course.

"When I first came out on the European Tour, I thought it didn't fit my game," he said. "My perception was that it was a bomber paradise, but since then it has had a little proof that my theory was wrong. "