The new year is always a highly anticipated time for golf fans in the Middle East as it signals the busiest time on the calendar when the four-week DP World Tour UAE Swing comes to town. 

Such is the way of things these days, the players get little in the way of rest following the end of the preceding campaign, before the new season opens its doors (the 2023 campaign officially began on November 24, four days after the 2022 season-ending DP World Tour Championship).

There are actually six ‘2023’ events in South Africa, Australia and Mauritius before the bells ring on December 31, but the UAE Swing is the real sign to get the season rolling. 

The 2023 extravaganza is certainly not to be missed as some of the best players in the world grace the courses of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.

With the big names already in town for the Hero Cup, where the top 10 players from Great Britain & Ireland face off against Continental Europe’s finest on Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course in a Ryder Cup warm-up, fans will be in for a treat across the UAE.

First up is the return to Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, and the first Rolex Series event of the year. 

Not only will there be $9 million on the table from January 19-22 on Yas Island at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, there will also be 5,000 Ryder Cup points up for grabs as those hoping to make Luke Donald’s team at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome come September look to make an early move into contention. 

Thomas Pieters’ final-round 72 and 10-under-par 278 was just enough to claim the trophy back in January, the Belgian just managing to hold off the surge from local hero Rafa Cabrera-Bello and India’s finest Shubhankar Sharma.

Viktor Hovland was two shots shy, but his time to shine was just around the corner 

“Winning a Rolex Series event is as good as it gets in Europe,” said Pieters as he cradled the Falcon Trophy in his arms. 

He will be looking for another strong start to the year, with Luke Donald certain to be taking notes.

Another one to watch will be the winner of the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship, which takes place from December 13-15. Victory in that tournament books a ticket to Yas Links, and the victor will have a lot to live up to following Josh Hill’s break-out season in 2022, where he made the cut in both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (58th) and then the Dubai Desert Classic (55th).

Following the celebrations on Sunday, the cream of European golf will make the short trip along Sheikh Zayed Road to the Emirates Golf Club for the Dubai Desert Classic, where another $9 million and 5,000 Ryder Cup points will be available.

Coming off one of his best-ever seasons without lifting a major in 2022, reinstalled world No. 1 Rory McIlroy will be chasing a hat-trick over the famous Majlis course from January 26-29.

The Northern Irishman triumphed in this event in 2009 and 2015, and blew a great chance for the triple crown last year, where he found the water on 18 to miss out on at least a playoff with Viktor Hovland and Richard Bland.

Left: Viktor Hovland was the eventual winner of 2022’s Dubai Desert Classic. Right: Nicolai Højgaard won the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Championship. Photos by Getty Images

It was the Norwegian who took the glory and announce his arrival at golf’s top table with a thrilling playoff win over the English veteran Bland as dusk fell across EGC.

McIlroy himself, though, knows he has unfinished business in Dubai.

The 33-year-old said: “I always look forward to playing the Dubai Desert Classic, having won the tournament twice in my career, and the Majlis is a golf course that I love to play.

“Lifting the Dallah trophy for a third time is something I would love to achieve.”

Following the conclusion of the back-to-back Rolex Series events, the action rolls on up to Ras Al Khaimah, where the RAK Championship returns from February 2-5. Nicolai Højgaard took top spot at Al Hamra in 2022, and both he and his twin brother Rasmus will be back vying for those valuable Ryder Cup points this time around. 

So, strap in for four weeks of non-stop action right across the UAE.

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Like Koepka who is still searching for his first Middle East success, three-time Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer (2010, 2011) and Tommy Fleetwood (2017, 2018) – the only players to successfully defend the now Rolex Series title – will have designs on preventing reigning Open champion Lowry joining them in the history books.

Lowry will also have to overcome PGA Tour stars Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay, along with the usual cast of European names, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in what shapes as another absorbing start to the annual Desert Swing.

RELATED: Entertainment guaranteed on and off the fairways at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA 

As media partners, Golf Digest Middle East has 40 double passes to give away to our loyal readers across the four days of the Jan. 16-19 event – 10 each from Thursday to Sunday. Entry is simple as filling in your details below.

Tickets will be emailed to the lucky winners after the random draw.

For the record, Kaymer won the first of his record three Abu Dhabi titles in 2008. Paul Casey has also won the title twice, in 2007 and 2009.

Defending champion Shane Lowry tees off at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

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By Kent Gray
Dustin Johnson headlines a PR-manufactured “Magnificent Seven” for the Desert Swing opener but it’s Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s famous fives that are more likely to occupy the American’s mind when he saunters back into the UAE capital.

A year after finishing a frustrating shot shy of Tommy Fleetwood in his first attempt to snare the Falcon Trophy, we’re still officially flabbergasted by Johnson’s relative lack of success on The National’s four eminently reachable par 5s.

For all his power (Johnson was third in par 5 scoring on the PGA Tour last season), the world No.1 was only able to better par three times in 20 attempts on the par 5s. Johnson’s collective -5 total was bolstered by a pair of eagles, the second of them on the 72nd hole, while he bizarrely drew a birdie blank on the 2nd and 10th holes. Compare that to Fleetwood who was a combined -10 on the par 5s and birdied the 18th each of the last three days, the Sunday gain sealing victory by one from Johnson and Pablo Larrazabal and setting in motion the most unexpected year of his career.

I am sure this year I’ll put myself in a good position to compete and hopefully I can go one better than 2017.  – Dustin Johnson

“Abu Dhabi is great, it’s a fun course to play and I felt I played really well during my first appearance there, aside from my first day troubles with the putter of course,” said Johnson who ascended the summit of the world rankings with victory at the Genesis Open a month after Abu Dhabi and cemented his position with back-to-back WGC triumphs and victory in the first of the FedEx Cup playoff events, The Northern Trust.

“I am sure this year I’ll put myself in a good position to compete and hopefully I can go one better than 2017. Aside from the majors, 2017 has been a really good year for me…hopefully Abu Dhabi can act as the perfect springboard for me in 2018.”

Of course, Johnson isn’t the only one with unfinished business at the $3million European Tour event which has lured all three medallists from golf’s return to the Olympic Games at Rio – Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar – and seven players in the world’s top 20.

Getty Images

Abu Dhabi is the only traditional Desert Swing title to elude Stenson (pictured) who has played every event since its inauguration in 2006, incidentally the year he came closest after falling a shot short of American Chris DiMarco.

Rory McIlroy is scheduled to make his 2018 bow in Abu Dhabi as he eyes the U.S. Masters and another shot at a career grand slam sealing Green Jacket after an injury-interrupted 2017.

“I am looking for a strong start in 2018 and Abu Dhabi is the perfect place to open my season’s campaign. Having come really close here on more than one occasion, I will be completely focused on trying to win the Falcon Trophy and getting myself back into the winners’ circle – that would be a real confidence boost to start the New Year.”

Fleetwood will want a decent defence to prove his Race to Dubai title was no one season wonder, Rose will hope to continue his rich run of form at the tail end of 2017 while the likelihood of the uber consistent Kuchar, T-4 at the Masters and famously edged by Jordan Spieth at last summer’s Open Championship, contending seems as inevitable as him being asked to revisit Royal Birkdale in his pre-tourney presser.

The return of Paul Casey is the other intriguing Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship subplot.  The 2007 and 2009 champion has more than September’s Ryder Cup on his mind too.  “Abu Dhabi is an incredibly special place for me, having won the championship twice,” said Casey who finished 6th at The Masters and enjoyed a strong finish to the PGA Tour season to finish 11th in the FedEx Cup standings.

“I’m confident heading into the championship and know what it takes to get the job done. It would be great if I could equal Martin’s [Kaymer’s’] record there.”

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If there is a more convenient resort offering in Middle East golf, we haven’t experienced it.

From arrival at the spectacular Falcon Clubhouse, throughout your 7,600-yard (from the championship tees) loop of Peter Harradine’s beloved design to your post round debrief on the Falcon Terrace and back to your luxurious hotel room, this is golf delivered to a true five-star standard.

The golf is challenging without ever being unfair – a trait of Harradine’s – with the championship layout’s par 5s all memorable, none more so that the 18th, which delivers a fitting finale to European Tour events and rounds with your buddies. You need to shape your ball of most tees but the big hitter is given ample opportunity to open their shoulders. Strategic bunkering and normally pristine greens complete the picture.

Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood will defend the famed Falcon Trophy in January as part of a “Magnificent Seven” including Johnson, McIlroy, Rose, Stenson, Kuchar and Casey. The marketers trumpet it as a #BestoftheBest, which speaks volumes of the course and the resort. Europe’s best rave about the event and turn up year after year even if the likes of Stenson and McIlroy have found the Falcon extremely elusive thus far.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club is actually home to 27 holes and you shouldn’t dismiss the little nine-holer, secretly referred to as the Garden Course but officially known as ‘Holes 19-27’.

Golf Digest ME has previously enjoyed a family stay and play focused solely on the little course where forward tees of 2,530 yards were perfect for a nine-year-old rookie and 3,341 yards ample for Dad. It was precious family time and also perfect for some floodlit fun the day before or the night after your round on the championship circuit.

Abu Dhabi is indeed an “oasis of tranquillity and beauty carved out of the desert” where the generous fairways meander through pockets of palms and ornamental shrubs and trees and seven saltwater lakes dissect both courses but rarely come into play.

Throw in extensive practice facilities, that iconic Falcon Clubhouse with three floors of lounges and restaurants including The Grille, the club’s fine-dining restaurant and one of the best steak and seafood restaurants in Abu Dhabi, a swimming pool…

We could go on and on – squash courts, a health club with sauna, spa and Jacuzzi – but you get the message. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better stay and play option in the region. They’ll even organise a game at sister club Saadiyat Beach G.C. if you fancy it – and can drag yourself away from the place champions call home.

www.adgolfclub.com

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A topsy-turvy even par 72 kept the 36-hole leader on -12 through 54-holes of the 12th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but saw the 32-year-old drop a spot into a five-way share of second heading into the final round.

The world No.53 was regarded as one of the coolest closers in golf until he infamously let a 10-stroke lead slip with just 13 holes of the 2015 championship to play, handing the Falcon to Frenchman Gary Stal.

As such, the two-time major champion doesn’t mind starting Sunday a shot adrift of English pace-setter Tyrrell Hatton who carded a 68 Saturday to lead at -13.

“I just really enjoy the challenge tomorrow,” Kaymer said.

“I’m not having a lot of pressure of winning the golf tournament. Always when you lead a golf tournament by three or four shots, you kind of expect yourself to win, and I don’t really have that pressure tomorrow. I know I’ve done very well here in the past, so I can play very free and very aggressive tomorrow.”

But surely The National owes you one after 2015?

“It doesn’t really owe me one. It was my own fault. I didn’t really get unlucky. It was just poor golf shots at the wrong time. It was in the past. Let’s keep it that way.”

Kaymer mixed three birdies with as many bogeys on Saturday as the wind whipped up.

“I missed a few fairways today and then it’s difficult to create birdie chances. And then I had a couple of poor shots on 10 and 11. Made a couple bogeys there,” he said.

“The wind was strong from the first tee to maybe 13 or 14, and then it was quite tricky to hit the fairways, because the holes, even when it was downwind, you have to cut so much off of the fairway. Almost the holes become doglegs. I found it very difficult today to hit fairways and therefore, didn’t shoot the best score.

“I fought back well with another birdie, and then the putts didn’t drop in the end. So overall, still a decent round. I think I’m in very good position for tomorrow.”

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The 32-year-old German is right in the mix at the 12^th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, cashing in on a Christmas spent practising with an opening 66 Thursday to lie two shots adrift of overnight leader Henrik Stenson.

It sets up the three-time champion for another big week Abu Dhabi where he launched his career with victory in 2008 before going back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.

Kaymer had eight top 10s on the European Tour last season but is searching for his first victory since clinching the second of his major championships at Pinehurst in the 2014 U.S. Open. The eerily quiet spell since was lowlighted by the 10-stroke lead he surrendered in the final round here in 2015 to hand the Falcon Trophy to Frenchman Gary Stal.

But those memories continue to fade, helped by a fast start and an even better finish Thursday when he rattled off three successive birdies from the 7^th to the 9^th, including a remarkable up and down from a sandy waste area on his penultimate hole, the 8^th.

“Some golf courses, you need to work, you need to work to shoot four or five under par,” Kaymer said of his eight birdie-two bogey start to 2017.

“The golf course for me doesn’t feel like I need to do a lot of special things in order to play well because I usually putt well on those greens. It doesn’t feel like a hard-working day.

“I just like a lot of the tee-shots. They really suit my eye and, again, if you are making putts, that’s always for us professionals very, very important to see the ball going into the hole.”

Kaymer admits he eased off his usual off-season practice ritual after waltzing the 2014 U.S. Open by eight shots but couldn’t face the guilt of letting himself down this year.

“I had a bad conscience in the wintertime because since 2005, every winter, I spent in America over Christmas and New Year’s Eve [practicing],” he said.

“And then the last two years, I went skiing. Especially after my 2014 season when I won my second Major, you kind of take it a little bit easier. And then you see it the next year on the golf course, where I had a lot of top ten finishes, but that little bit of extra that you need in order to win was missing.

“Therefore, I went back to America and practiced.”

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In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest Middle East, the 28-year-old world No.13 discusses his preparation ahead of the Desert Swing opener from January 19-22 which features Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson, the respective reigning Masters, US Open and Open champions.

The Cobra-Puma star also goes off-piste to share his thoughts on some of the most pressing issues facing golf today including Tiger Woods’ comeback, computer gaming’s impact on junior golf , that elusive major and why he’ll forever favour Orange on Sundays.

Many players swear off golf during the holidays. What constitutes a great vacation for Rickie Fowler?
2016 was such a busy year with the Olympics and the Ryder Cup so I took a few weeks off with my family but I was still be working on my swing with Butch and playing some golf with my buddies when possible so I’m ready to defend my title at the National Course.

How important is this period of recharging?
Travelling can be tiring but it’s all part of being a professional golfer. I love my job and I worked hard for years before turning professional to make this my career and I love travelling to new parts of the world. Last year was only my second time in the Middle East and I enjoyed it so much I came back for a third year running. I’ll take some time out during the holidays to recharge but I’ll be back swinging early January so that I’m ready to defend my title in Abu Dhabi.

How tough is it to defend a title given all the extra fuss around your already heavy PR workloads?
I’m used to doing media at most events so it isn’t too much extra to me. I really enjoy talking to media, especially when it’s at a place where I have good memories because I’ve won there.

A stellar cast has been assembled for the 12^th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. It’ll be the first time many will see Dustin Johnson in the flesh. Give us an inside the ropes insight into the character behind those booming drives:
Dustin is one of the coolest guys on Tour and he’s so chilled out when he’s on the course. I love travelling to European Tour events and I’m excited that Dustin is coming over to join me as an American on European Tour soil. The National Course has seen a few big hitters over the last 11 years but I’m sure he’ll be driving his ball to some places that not many players have been to before.

You moved up to No.4 in the OWGR after your win in Abu Dhabi last January and it seemed, following your stellar 2015, it was going to be another barn-storming year, only for your form to fizzle out a little. With the beauty of hindsight, what do you put that down too and how do you rate 2016 overall?
It’s easy in golf to think your next good result is just around the corner, only for your form to fade. 2016 wasn’t the first time in my career where I fizzled out a bit during the season and it won’t be the last so I’ll continue doing everything I can to get better and comeback stronger. I played a lot of golf in 2016 so maybe I was a bit tired but overall I feel like I’m swinging it well and I’m looking forward to 2017. I still see 2016 as a successful year though, I won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, played my third Ryder Cup and represented my country in the Olympics.

You game has flourished under the guidance of Butch Harmon but we presume it is still a work in progress? What do you need to do to regain that 2015 consistency?
I’m always working to get better and I don’t think anyone could say they’ve finished tinkering with their swing, there is always something to work on. I have a ton of positives to take from last year and it’s great to be back in Abu Dhabi at a venue where I have fond memories.

After Abu Dhabi, everyone was saying it was only a matter of time until you won a major, not if you’d win one. How do you feel now some say you’ve entering that bitter-sweet territory as one of the best golfers in the world not to win a major?
There are a lot of good players not to win a major and I know I’ve come close but I still see myself as one of those guys trying to win a golf tournament, just like any other week. I don’t really think about whether I should have won one or not but instead just try and put myself in a position to win and learn from previous years and experiences.

The renowned British photographer David Cannon, recalling your ball striking during the third round at Royal St. George’s in 2011, believes an Open Championship is part of your destiny. Do you feel like the Open is your best shot at a big?
I certainly enjoy the Open Championship and everything that comes with it. I love links golf and the variety of shots you have to play so if I were lucky enough to lift the Claret Jug, I’d be a happy man.

Fowler battles the elements during the 3rd round of the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s – Getty Images

David wants to know if you regard that 68, etched out of miserable conditions en-route to a T5, as one of the best rounds of your career?
I couldn’t even open my umbrella that day at St George’s and shot a score that put me in contention on the final day so at the time, as a young professional without any wins on Tour, it was the best round of my career. I’ve had a couple of other stand out rounds since though, not least my final round of 69 last year at the National Course to win my first Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. That round was up and down all the way and went right down to the wire which was tense. Chipping in on the 17th was particularly memorable because is put me in position to close out the Championship.

What’s your take on the venues for this year’s major championships? Any one in particular you fancy?
It goes without saying that I love teeing it up at Augusta but beyond that, they all look great and I’m excited for the year ahead. I won my first PGA TOUR event at Quail Hollow so with the US PGA Championship heading there for the first time, that’ll be interesting and one where I’ll hopefully be able to channel my good memories.

We all see you on the range preparing for tournaments but can you take us behind the scenes of a typical tournament day, the stuff we don’t see. What rituals do you follow? Are you superstitious?
I don’t really have any superstitions, that’s if you don’t include wearing orange on Sunday of course. My manager is usually with me at events to help me with all of the off-course stuff but I also like travelling with my friends. There’s a few of us on the PGA Tour that have a fun time together and it can be exciting going to each tournament together. In terms of dealing with the off-course demands, I don’t see it being too much of a problem because I have some really cool sponsors like Puma and Red Bull and we do some exciting things. I’m a real adrenaline junkie so if I can combine sponsor demands with fun, that’s perfect.

You do great stuff with all your charity work and always seem to be pushing the youth angle. From your vantage point, is enough being done to foster the junior game?
I think the game is always doing its bit to try to nurture new talent and gets kids playing golf. The USGA certainly run a number of good initiatives, as do the R&A, so hopefully between them and myself and others on the professional golf circuit, we can inspire kids to get in to golf and then keep them there once they start.

We’re seeing online gaming tournaments televised now by the likes of ESPN. From someone who knows about both past-times, how do we get kids off their computers and onto the course?
I don’t know about converting kids that play video games but with the growth of social media and the sort of things we as professionals and bodies such as the European and PGA Tours can showcase on those channels, hopefully that’ll give them an idea of what they are missing out on. You’re never going to get everyone out there in to golf. This is the same for other sports too but if we can showcase golf as a fun and exciting option, that will help us move kids from their computer to the course or driving range.

You played the third round with Tiger in his comeback at the Hero World Challenge. He’s still the biggest draw and so important to the game isn’t he?
Tiger Woods is arguably the best golfer that has ever-lived so whenever I get a chance to tee it up with him, I’m excited. You’ve only got to look at the TV figures during the week to know that Tiger still draws the biggest crowd and golf is in a better place when he plays. It’s good to have him back and it’d be awesome if I got the chance to go toe-to-toe with him some time in the near future on the back nine Sunday.

Rickie Fowler and Tiger Wood’s during last month’s HERO World Challenge in the Bahamas. – Getty Images

You and Kiwi professional Danny Lee are renowned for pranking each other in public. It’s certainly lightened the stuffy reputation of the game…is the goofing about a conscious PR effort or just boys being boys? And who is going to have the last laugh?
It’s quite simply boys being boys. anny is a funny guy but I’ve got to say I’ll have the last laugh just in case he reads this.

With time to reflect, what did the Ryder Cup win at Hazeltine National mean for Team USA, especially in light of your tough time at Gleneagles in 2014? It must be nice to bury the “they don’t have our chemistry” talk?
I always love playing for my country and we had a blast at Hazeltine. The team really gelled together and it was one of my major goals last year to make the team and play in front of a home crowd. It was nice to dispel the feeling or talk that we aren’t a team but we weren’t thinking of it like that. We were just doing everything we could to win the Ryder Cup and bring it back to America!

Do you ever wish you’d chosen a different colour than orange for Sunday’s?
I couldn’t possibly choose another colour, I’m orange to the bone! I’m so proud to have been at OSU [Oregon State University] and love that I can honour them every Sunday.

Tell us one thing we don’t know about Rickie Fowler?
My middle name is Yutaka – after my grandfather Taka Tanaka.

What’s one thing you’d like to do that money can’t buy? Family

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The 22-year-old Yorkshireman, fresh from the biggest of his three European Tour wins at November’s DP World Tour Championship, has been confirmed alongside countrymen Tyrrell Hatton and Chris Wood and Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello for the January 19-22 Desert Swing opener.

By most measures, the quartet would be a tournament promoters dream but have been held back as a second hit of player confirmations given the top echelon fields consistently assembled in Abu Dhabi.

It’s no slight given three of last season’s four major champions – Danny Willett (Masters), Dustin Johnson (US Open) and Henrik Stenson (Open Championship) – were confirmed pre Santa alongside world No.2 Rory McIlroy, defending champion Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup sensation Thomas Pieters, reigning Qatar champion Branden Grace, Swede Alex Noren and three-time Falcon Trophy champion Martin Kaymer.

Fitzpatrick, who finished last season’s Race to Dubai sixth overall after six top 10s, will make his third appearance in Abu Dhabi after finishing T26 last year following a missed cut on debut in 2015.

“I am really looking forward to competing in Abu Dhabi again,” said Fitzpatrick who earned a Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine last September and has quietly roared up to No.30 in the world rankings.

“Winning the end of season European Tour event in the UAE in November was the best moment of my career so far and I hope I can build on that in 2017. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has a great reputation amongst the players and it is great to have Dustin and Rickie at a European Tour event.”

Tyrrell Hatton – Getty Images

Hatton enjoyed a similar breakthrough year to Fitzpatrick in 2016, clinching the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland as one of 10 top-10s to finish 4^th in the Race to Dubai.

This will be the 25-year-old’s fourth Abu Dhabi start and he has form on The National – T10 in 2014 and T6 the following year before a T46 last year. Hatton will also be keen to quickly erase memories of his watery 72nd hole bogey at Jumeirah Golf Estates to hand Fitzpatrick last season’s European Tour finale.

“I just want to continue where I left off,” said Hatton also finished a bridesmaid at July’s Scottish Open as well as at JGE.

“It is going to be a massive test to compete in such a strong field but I want to add more titles this season. I love playing in the Middle East and really enjoy the set up at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, so hopefully I’ll be contending on that final day.”

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – Getty Images

Cabrera-Bello was the European Tour’s nearly-man in 2016, kicking on from a T14 in Abu Dhabi to finish second in both Qatar and Dubai before rattling off 3^rd place in the WGC-Dell Matchplay, T8 in the Irish Open, 4^th at the Open de France and 5^th at the Rio Olympics.

The 2012 Dubai Desert Classic champion and Jebel Ali ambassador also lead through 54 holes at the USB Hong Kong Open last month (the third event of the wrap-around 2016-17 season) only to finish second again so will be desperate to capitalise on his consistent form.

Chris Wood – Getty Images

Wood will make his seventh appearance in Abu Dhabi but after T19 and T23 finishes in 2010 and 2011 respectively, has not placed better than T65 (2014) in five attempts since and was T74 last year.

Still, Wood has pedigree in the desert, winning the first of his three European Tour titles at the 2013 Qatar Masters.

The Englishman finished 11^th in last season’s Race to Dubai, headlined by his BMW PGA Championship triumph at Wentworth which sealed a Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine.

Visit www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com for ticket information.

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