First Look: The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

The PGA Tour kicked off the calendar year with the Hawaiian swing taking in both Kapalua and Waialae.

Now the DP World Tour responds with a double of its own as the Middle Eastern swing takes in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week, followed by the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by DP World Tour (@dpworldtour)

Rolex Series

There are five Rolex Series events in total and both of these upcoming tournaments are Rolex Series events, which means the players are playing for more prize money and DPWTR points. Players on the DP World Tour generally play for in and around $2 million per week with 2,750 DPWTR points up for grabs. The next two weeks see prize pools of $8 million and 8,000 DPWTR points each.

Competing for the $8 million prize pool and teeing it up this week are major winners and Ryder Cup stars like Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Tyrell Hatton, Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and even the likes of Adam Scott.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Event History

The Abu Dhabi Championship was first staged in 2006 and has been held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club for the past 16 years. This renewal takes us to the Yas Links Golf Club on Yas Island, also home to the state’s Formula 1 track, for the very first time.

This makes picking a winner a little more difficult, but there are certain traits of the golf course that can help guide selections for the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kyle Phillips (@kylephillipsgcd)

The Golf Course

Designed by Kyle Phillips and opened in 2010, the Yas Links is a 7,425 yard par 72 and a bit of an oddity as it is a links course…in the desert.

Phillips, who worked with Robert Trent Jones Jr. when he graduated from Kansas State University in 1981 with a degree in Landscape Architecture, was responsible for many of the company’s European designs.

After starting his own company in 1997, he designed the critically acclaimed Kingsbarns in Scotland, now part of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. We can draw correlations from players who have done well on this type of track before. Good desert experience is also a plus as the climate here doesn’t tend to blow hard like some links tracks in other parts of the world.

The below image gives you a good sense of this links desert crossover. The grass, dunes and water give a Scottish links vibe, while the background featuring the circular shaped Aldar Properties Headquarters is very much representative of the new age of Abu Dhabi.

Our iconic 13th hole.

Could this hole determine the next Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion next Sunday?

Time will tell…@troonint@yasisland@VisitAbuDhabi@ADGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/yCXNKVCk7P

— Yas Links Abu Dhabi (@YasLinksGC) January 15, 2022

Check back early tomorrow for the top picks of the week.

Cover Image Via Instagram