As we all fully expected, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship once again provided a fantastic start to the Desert Swing, as well as the season for most players.

I will begin by congratulating Pablo Larrazabal for what was a stupendous win. I have read a few reports, and heard some people say, that he was handed the title by Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, but that’s simply not true.

As unfortunate as the two-shot penalty on Rory was, and Phil’s triple-bogey was completely out of the blue, but whatever happened to them is an integral part of the game and needs to be accepted. It’s like saying that, in cricket, if a batsman was not run out or caught, he would have definitely scored a century.

As well as both Rory and Phil played, their scores will never have an asterisk mark against them with a footnote below saying what happened during the tournament. On the other hand, Larrazabal was neither in the bushes, nor did he have any run-in with the law.

The Spaniard’s five-under-par 67 on the final day was also one shot better than Rory and two better than Mickelson. So, let’s give him credit for hanging in there, playing solid golf and withstanding all the pressure. He was a worthy champion.

One thing that I have to compliment the Abu Dhabi organisers about is the state of the golf course. I know some players complained about the thick rough, but I thought it was brilliantly set up and it was fair. You hit good shots, and you find the fairways, you were rewarded. Let’s not forget there were two rounds of 63 during the week. Golf, at this level, needs to be a tough test and Abu Dhabi was exactly that.

The good news for golf fans is surely the way both Rory and Phil played. They have displayed superb form in their first outing of the season, which bodes well for the game in the year 2014.

I may not have had the most exciting of finishes, but I was happy to make the cut and compete on all four days for a couple of reasons. I have struggled on the golf course in the past and have missed the cut a few times, so it was encouraging that I was there over the weekend and working gainfully.

Secondly, I was hurting badly in my right rotator cuff when I landed in the UAE and, while the medicines and the warmer weather here helped make it feel better, I was not sure if I would last the first couple of days. Thankfully, I not only played all four days, but also I did not hurt myself further and was happy with the way my game progressed.

— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour