European Tour Fantasy Golf Predictions – Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Preview

The European Tour’s 2019 campaign starts with a bang this week out in the desert of Dubai for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Already a money-spinner for the players – the sheikhs in this part of the world aren’t afraid to dish out hefty appearance fees, the tournament has taken on added significance now that it has been upgraded to a Rolex Series event.

That means more prize money and plenty of ranking points on offer; even if the Race to Dubai finale is still some eleven months away!

Either way, the prestige or the dollar bills have convinced Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka to accept an invite on to the European Tour, and they will be joined by an eclectic cast that includes two-time, and defending, Abu Dhabi champion Tommy Fleetwood, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen, Tyrrell Hatton and many more.

Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off on the 9th hole during…

Dustin Johnson of the United States tees off on the 9th hole during the Pro-AM of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 15, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

And here’s a quick note for DFS gamers: the event will be played from Wednesday-Saturday to accommodate soccer’s Asian Cup.

Our host venue is the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, an almost tree-less and exposed layout that is prone to desert winds; they could reach speeds of up to 21 mph, according to the early forecast. Be sure to consider that when making your draft.

Playing at a meaty 7,583 yards for its Par 72, this track was designed by Peter Harradine and features extensive bunkering and tough rough which has been over-seeded for luscious, thick growth.

The Bermuda greens are pretty quick at 12.5 on the stimpmeter too, and they tend to run like carpet given the significant investment put into this fantastic golf club.

It’s a track which favors long accurate players off the tee – your ‘total drivers’, if you will – and that consideration has formed the basis of our draft for the 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

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

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This Week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Fantasy Picks

Dustin Johnson – $11,600 – This event could be construed as a mere cash in for golf’s big names, many of whom are all too happy to pick up a check just for showing up.

But Dustin Johnson appears to be a different animal altogether, and as seen in his forays on the European Tour and even his outings in the Canadian Open – primarily to appease his sponsors, RBC – he turns up and gets the job done.

As opposed to Koepka, who hasn’t played here since 2014, DJ has made the last two editions of this event and delivered top-10s in each. In 2017 he finished T2, and a year later he was T9; in both efforts he compiled rounds of 64 to confirm that this course suits his eye.

Those strong winds won’t faze him, and if conditions do take a turn for the worse the former US Open champion is surely the man for the occasion.

Matt Wallace – $9,400 – Despite a phenomenal 2018, there might just be something sticking in the craw of Matt Wallace.

He won the Indian Open, BMW International Open and Made in Denmark last year to go with his Open de Portugal triumph of 2017.

But none of those are considered the European Tour’s ‘blue ribbon’ events, and the Englishman would surely love to land a Rolex Series event to enhance his stock yet further.

The signs suggest he should be well suited to desert golf – he was second behind Danny Willett in the DP World Tour Championship out in Dubai at the end of 2018, and with motivation not in short supply we’re expecting a big run from this class act in Abu Dhabi.

Lucas Bjerregaard – $8,000 – If you looked at Lucas Bjerregaard’s course form alone, you might think we’d lost our marbles.

In four trips he’s finished no higher than T66, with two missed cuts.

But we could compare the Dane’s record at Abu Dhabi GC to that of Tommy Fleetwood, who missed four cuts in five years here before solving the puzzle and winning back-to-back trophies.

It would be churlish to suggest Bjerregaard is capable of similar, but he’s playing the best golf of his life right now and after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – yep, he can play in the wind alright – the Danish sensation is into the world’s top 50 players.

He played pretty well in the season-ending Race to Dubai events too, and enters 2019 an altogether different beast entirely.

Alexander Bjork – $7,500 – After plenty of near misses, Alexander Bjork finally claimed his first European Tour win in 2018 at the China Open.

He found it tough immediately after but found some form again towards the tail-end of the campaign with a solo second at the British Masters, before signing off with a T12 in the DP World Tour Championship out here in Dubai.

The Swede has actually compiled top-20 finishes in four of his five trips to the United Arab Emirates, including T13 on debut here.

Chris Paisley – $7,300 – We can only speculate as to the benefits of playing plenty of competitive golf while others are on their holidays, and at least Chris Paisley comes into this one with plenty in the tank.

The Englishman opted to play the South African swing while others were off relaxing on the beach, and he was rewarded with two top-25 finishes despite ‘not playing my best stuff’, in his words.

He returns here to a course he enjoys. In 2017 he fired in a round of 65 on his way to a T29 finish, and last year he made putts from all angles as he ended up in T5.

In form and on greens he seems to love, Paisley is the ideal ‘sleeper’ play this week.

Nicolas Colsaerts – $6,900 – The ongoing enigma that is Nicolas Colsaerts continues to confound and disappoint.

The Belgian truly is one of the best ball strikers on the European Tour on his day, but unfortunately those sparks are rare for a player who is something of a serial underachiever.

Mind you, a new year means a new start, and he had shown glimpses of form last year.

T10 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was followed by T14 in the Turkish Airlines Open and the same placing at the Hong Kong Open; a trio of very different tests.

This is a track that suits his long, straight hitting, and so expect the Belgian to start the year with a bang in Abu Dhabi.

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