Abu Dhabi: Notable additions to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship that gets under way at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 18-21 are Rafa Cabrera Bello, Ernie Els, Tyrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood, and Danny Willett.
Golf fans from the UAE and across the globe will have the chance to watch six former Abu Dhabi champions, 89 of the top 100 on the final 2017 European Tour rankings and 24 Ryder Cup stars who, between them, have a combined total of 62 Ryder Cup appearances, challenging for the famous falcon trophy.
The 2018 roster reads like a who’s who of world golf, including defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, World Number One, Dustin Johnson, four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy, Olympic Gold medallist Justin Rose, 2016 Open Champion and Olympic Silver Medallist, Henrik Stenson and Olympic Bronze medallist Matt Kuchar, to name a few.
With a number of Championship invites still to be announced later this week, already challenging to win this year’s coveted title is an illustrious final field that between them boast 16 Major titles, 370 European Tour victories and 86 PGA Tour victories, underlining the fact that the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA is one of the Official World Golf Ranking’s strongest international events.
Reigning champion and world no. 18, Fleetwood is in no doubt about the challenge he faces in retaining this year’s Falcon Trophy, mainly due to the golfing talent set to appear.
“The line-up of players is incredible again this year and is a great testament to the quality of the tournament that Abu Dhabi Sports Council hosts with the support of HSBC. The fact it includes so many Major winners and past champions is one of the reasons we all play here. Winning in Abu Dhabi last year really was the start of my best season ever, and coming out on top of so many of the world’s best players made the win even more special. This year will be my first ever defence of a title so will be memorable for that reason,” said Fleetwood.
Popular Spanish star, Rafa Cabrera Bello, ranked 20th in the world, is set to appear in his 10th championship. “I’m looking forward to returning to Abu Dhabi for my 10th consecutive year. It is a fantastic place to start 2018 and, as always, the field is set to be one of the strongest we will see all season. It’s one of my favourite events on the calendar and, having finished as high as fourth in the past, I know the course suits me,” said Cabrera.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who featured on the leaderboard at last year’s championship until a final round 75 derailed his challenge added: “I can’t wait. I’ve been working hard on my game in the off-season and cannot wait to get back out competing. Abu Dhabi is a world-class field and with so many Official World Golf Ranking and Ryder Cup points on offer, it’s a very important week for us all.”
