European Tour Fantasy Golf Predictions – 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Fantasy Preview

After completing its winter duties in South Africa, the European Tour moves onto the Middle East this week for a stint we like to call the ‘Sunshine Swing.’

Perhaps it should be renamed the ‘Dollar Sign Swing,’ as a purse of $3,000,000 this week’s event, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, has a persuasive effect on some of the finest players in the world.

It’s certainly why Dustin Johnson is making a rare appearance in a European Tour event, and presumably the reason why Rory McIlroy makes his log-awaited return from injury too.

Dustin Johnson of the United States celebrates on the 18th green…

Dustin Johnson of the United States celebrates on the 18th green after winning during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 7,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

That duo will be joined by a stellar cast including the red hot Justin Rose, defending champion and Rolex Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood, former British Open victor Henrik Stenson, the ever consistent Matt Kuchar and course specialist Martin Kaymer, plus a collection of outstanding talents from across the globe.

The assignment facing them this week is the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which boasts a lengthy Par72 track measuring some 7,583 yards. It is long and flat with plenty of water and sand lurking to gobble up any errant balls, and with the wind looking unpredictably breezy this week in the region there could be plenty that fall foul of the hazards.

That said, this is still a tamable track as evidenced by Fleetwood (-17), Fowler (-16) and Stal (-19) all going low in their winning efforts these past three years.

The greens here are Bermuda, so plenty will feel right at home, with the fairways of seashore Paspalum build, and with a stroke index of 71.19 last year it is no surprise to learn that many of the world’s best players are able to take this layout to the cleaners.

So what does it take? Quite simply: hit greens….lots of them. Eight of the last eleven winners here have ranked inside the top-10 for Greens in Regulation, and while we know that stat can be a tad misleading clearly giving yourself plenty of par breaking opportunities is key.

And we’re willing to put a premium on long, straight driving too. The last two champions, Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler, ranked ninth and sixth for Driving Accuracy and 15th and 27th for Driving Distance respectively. Fowler’s DD figure looks surprisingly low, actually, but we know he can comfortably hit the ball 320+ yards so we’re willing to say that keeping the ball in play, as far down the fairway as you can find, is essential.

So who are the smart picks in Abu Dhabi this week? Let’s have a look.

This Week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Fantasy Picks & Predictions

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