Abu Dhabi: Rory McIlroy’s participation this week in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is in doubt.
The World No 2 — immediately after his play-off defeat to Graeme Storm at the South African Open — said that he will undergo a scan on his injured back on Monday.
The Northern Irishman played the second round through an upper-back problem before losing the contest at the third sudden-death hole on Sunday.
McIlroy, however, said that he was keen on playing in the desert this week, where he has finished runner-up four times.
“I am going for a scan tomorrow. I fly to Dubai tonight and then will go for an MRI tomorrow just to see what’s up with this joint in my back.
“It was manageable this week with tape and a few pills, so I am fine, but first and foremost I have to get fully fit and healthy again and hopefully I’ll be all right to play next week. Obviously that [pulling out] is worst‑case scenario,” McIlroy told the European Tour on Sunday, adding that he will see the extent of the injury and then take the final call.
“But like I said, it is manageable with the tape and a few anti-inflammatories but it’s not 100 per cent. Part of me really wants to make this week because there is so much to play for but at the same time there is so much to play for over the whole season and I don’t want to jeopardise long-term goals for short-term gain, but hopefully I’ll be good to go.”
McIlroy has a scheduled press conference at the capital course on Tuesday, where there may be a clearer picture about his availability for the weekend action. The runner-up finish in South Africa, however, has put McIlroy in line to win back his No. 1 spot in the world but only if he were to clinch the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which comprises a strong field.
World No. 3 Dustin Johnson, World No. 4 and Open winner Henrik Stenson, defending champion Rickie Fowler and Masters Champion Danny Willett are among the stars who are heading for the desert challenge.
After an enthralling battle against Team USA at Hazeltine in September, many of Europe’s Ryder Cup team will also regroup in the winter sun of Abu Dhabi to kick start their 2017 season.
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello, Germany’s three-time Abu Dhabi winner Martin Kaymer and Belgian prodigy Thomas Pieters will tee it up at the event. British trio Andy Sullivan, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood will also go from teammates to rivals in their quest for the title. The European elite will be in the company of past and future Ryder Cup leaders, as Darren Clarke, 2016 captain, and Thomas Bjorn, 2018 captain, both join the field.
Tour veterans Alvaro Quiros and Brett Rumford are among the group securing the final invitations to compete, with the Spaniard and Australian holding 11 European Tour titles between them. England’s Eddie Pepperell and Tom Lewis complete the invitees.
Ian Poulter, another hallmark name of the European game, will continue his return from injury at Abu Dhabi Golf Club after making only two appearances on Tour last season, one of which was a tied-14th place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton will be entering the year buoyantly after a strong end to 2016 saw him clinch a fourth-place finish in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai. Hatton, 25, produced four top-10 finishes, including a victory, in his last six starts to propel himself into the mix as one of the continent’s top talents.
Australian Sam Brazel is one of the only players in the field to have already lifted a trophy this season, after his impressive win at the UBS Hong Kong Open in December. More representation from down-under will come from amateur Curtis Luck, winner of the 2016 US Amateur Championship and tipped as a next-generation star of the sport. Meanwhile, Graeme Storm will be taking on The Championship Course in high spirits after a nail-biting play-off victory against McIlroy at the South African Open last weekend.
Another man to keep an eye on will be Sweden’s Alex Noren, who is returning to the UAE off the back of his career-best season which included four wins and third place in the Race to Dubai. Seventh placed South African Branden Grace and ninth placed Austrian Bernd Wiesberger will also provide further pedigree to the field, meaning that nine of the European Tour’s Order of Merit top 10 last season will tee it up in Abu Dhabi. Thorbjorn Olesen, Joost Luiten, and Alexander Levy, all winners on last year’s circuit, will also be looking to add to their trophy tallies.
The watching galleries will be able to support a strong Asian contingent of players appearing at the Championship too. Thai stars Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat will be joined by the Korean trio of Byeong Hun An, Soomin Lee and Jeunghun Wang. India’s growing golf reputation will be fronted by SSP Chawrasia and Rayhan Thomas, the UAE’s No. 1 amateur.
