Abu Dhabi: South African ace golfer Branden Grace, having finished tied on fifth spot last year at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, is confident that he can go all the way and win the title this time round at the capital course.

Grace, who is set to play two weeks in Hawaii before arriving here in the capital for the Championship on January 19, said he would be ready for a ‘fast start’ here.

“I should be well and truly warmed up and ready. I’m sure everyone wants to start the year on a high and I’m no different. I would love to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. It is a really strong field so obviously coming out on top would give me huge confidence going into the rest of the year,” said Grace, who proved that desert courses are to his liking by successfully defending his Qatar Open title last year and becoming the first player to do so since the tournament began in 1998.

The South African had shot a three-under 69 at Doha Golf Club on a day when wind created havoc to win the second leg of the European Tour’s so-called Desert Swing by two shots over Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70) and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (71). Last season also saw Grace win the RBC Heritage and clinch his first PGA Tour victory.

“Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how I performed in 2016 winning on both the European and PGA Tours but, if I could have done anything differently, it would perhaps have been to win more than two titles!” Grace, who also has four Sunshine Tour victories back home in South Africa, told Gulf News.

“I feel so comfortable there (Abu Dhabi and Qatar) and we are looked after so well it is one of the most enjoyable weeks on the European Tour schedule for me,” revealed Grace, who felt that the Abu Dhabi course had plenty of ‘risk and reward’ holes which make it interesting.

“I can’t really think of anything I dislike about the Abu Dhabi course. It is a great Championship course and I think, like everyone else, the 18th is one of my favourite holes. There is always a great atmosphere with the crowded grandstand and it looks so dramatic with the giant falcon clubhouse looming behind. It is a finishing hole with great potential for drama and a real feature of the course,” said the 28-year-old, who is keen to work on every aspect of his game in 2017.

“That is the thing about golf, you always feel like there are areas to improve and I’m constantly working on both my weaknesses and strengths in all areas of my game to ensure I keep improving,” said the South African, who has been as high as 10th on the world ranking and is currently 17th on that list.

“I’m aiming to win more titles! Fingers crossed!” asserted Grace, whose best performance came in 2012 when he became the first player in the history of the European Tour to win his first four European Tour titles in the same year.