Séamus Power will make his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship debut alongside former winner Tyrrell Hatton, three-time DP World Tour winner Ryan Fox, 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari and rising star Sepp Straka at Yas Links from January 19-22, 2023.
The two-time PGA TOUR winner will make the trip to Yas Links after teeing it up alongside Hatton for Team Great Britain and Ireland at the Hero Cup, while Straka will make his tournament debut alongside 2018 Open Champion Molinari, the Continental Europe Captain for the new match play contest who will play in the event for the first time since 2013.
Kiwi Fox, who enjoyed a career-best year in which he won twice and finished the season as DP World Tour Number Two, will return to Yas Links Abu Dhabi on Yas Island - the home of sport and entertainment in the Middle East – as the venue hosts the prestigious tournament for the second consecutive year, which has long been a fixture on the global golf schedule, having first been staged in 2006.
Abu Dhabi Sports Council has confirmed free general admission tickets for all tournament days, giving fans in the UAE the opportunity to witness the world class field in person for free, including Major Champions Molinari and Shane Lowry, as well as defending champion Thomas Pieters.
Irishman Power, who will finish 2022 Number One on the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Rankings, will make his first appearance in the Rolex Series event at the beginning of a year which he hopes will deliver a Ryder Cup debut for Team Europe.
“The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is one of the highlights on the DP World Tour schedule and I am really excited to make my debut next month,” Power said.
“I have heard great things about the event and I am relishing the chance to take part in it. I’ve played well on the PGA TOUR this year so hopefully I can bring my game to Abu Dhabi next month and take a step closer to that team at Marco Simone in September.”
Austrian Straka won his first PGA TOUR title at The Honda Classic earlier this year and made his Rolex Series debut in July’s Genesis Scottish Open.
“I loved my first taste of a Rolex Series event last year and I am eager for more at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
“Getting the opportunity to spend two weeks in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year and having the opportunity to test my game in a different location is really exciting.”
His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “Everyone is very proud to bring the first Rolex Series tournament back to Yas Links. 2022 was a stellar debut for an incredible tournament to start this new era for our championship. We have no doubt 2023 will be even better. The move to Yas Island has helped us take golf to more families and we want to continue to grow the game.”
Abdulfattah Sharaf, HSBC UAE CEO and Head of International Markets, said: “We are delighted to support the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as it returns to Yas Island for the second consecutive year. Last year was a milestone for the tournament entering a new era, and HSBC has been supporting new visions and opportunities across the UAE since we first opened our doors for business here more than 75 years ago.”
General Abdullah Alhashmi, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, said: "Today is a celebration not only for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship here at Yas Links but for all of UAE golf. This marks the end of the 2022 season and the start of the 2023 season for the DP World Tour here in the UAE. We at the Emirates Golf Federation are excited for the next few months. UAE golf will be on centre stage for the entire world to see as we host some of the biggest DP World Tour events. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership with the tour as we are both committed to growing the game of golf in the UAE."
The successful move to Yas Island in 2022 heralded a new chapter for the tournament which highlights Abu Dhabi as an international sports hub with the season ending F1 Championship and Ultimate Fighting Championship also taking residency at the world-class venue.
Last month, the DP World Tour confirmed all Rolex Series events will have a total prize fund of US$9million – an increase of $1million from the 2022 prize. The 2023 tournament will be the second of four events forming the Middle East swing, as Abu Dhabi prepares to host two weeks of world class golf across multiple venues.
Yas Island is Abu Dhabi’s premier leisure, retail and entertainment hub, leading the way in supporting the emirate’s Economic Vision 2030. The new venue offers a unique blend of stunning views, first-class hospitality and a diverse range of award-winning leisure and entertainment attractions, enhancing the experience for fans, whether they attend in person or watch from around the world.
Yas Links Abu Dhabi, designed by Kyle Phillips, opened in 2010 and ranked 34th in Golf Digest's 2022 global list of Top 100 courses. It also hosted the golf element of the 2019 Special Olympics World Games.
