European Tour starts Middle East swing
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship | Preview | 16 Jan 2008
The European Tour begins its swing through the Middle East when it travels to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, some 100 miles south and west of Dubai for this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.
The tournament is in its third year and the venue, the Peter Harradine designed Abu Dhabi Golf Club, was opened in 1998 and is one of many courses in the Middle East by the Swiss designer. Next week’s venue for the Qatar Masters, the Doha Golf Club is also a Harradine design and he has shown his ability to create quality courses in near desert regions.
Two the world’s top ten players Adam Scott and Padraig Harrington take their place in the field, both playing for the first time in 2008. Scott turned down the opportunity to play in the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii preferring instead to recharge the batteries completely in preparation for what he hopes will be a stellar season in world golf.
Harrington has not played since the Target Challenge in December where he was only mediocre but prior to that he played the Dunlop Phoenix event in Japan.
His fifth placing in Japan was a fitting end to what was a magnificent run of form late in the regular season in 2007, a season which saw him win his first major.
Harrington finished fifth behind Paul Casey here last year after leading into the final round and should do well again.
Casey’s final round of 65 to win in 2007 was particularly impressive. Despite that, it was his only win of the season although it would not surprise to see him again start the season off well.
Scott is the leading world ranked player in the field in 8th place. He has won in the Desert previously having blitzed the Qatar Masters field a few years ago and in the main played very well towards the end of last year before his break and missed only two cuts in all of 2007. Amongst the more fancied chances this week however he is not alone in having had a break from the game and if he is anywhere near his best he could do very well.
Henrik Stenson was less than impressive at the Mercedes-Benz Championship finishing 28th in a field of 31 but so too did K.J. Choi and we all know what he did at last week’s Sony Open. Stenson has played this venue well, finishing runner up to Chris DiMarco in 2006 and 8th last year. He enjoys a solid record in the Middle East and after a poor mid season in 2007 he began to hit his stride late in the year.
Many of Europe’s elite are in the field this week and one of them is the Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez who has been runner up and 5th in his two visits to this golf course. He won the Hong Kong Open late in 2007 and if he has been able to retain any of that form, he has a good chance of being in contention come Sunday on a golf course that clearly suits him.
There will be much interest and empathy for the improving Darren Clarke, who seems to be working his way back to his best with two very good finishes in South Africa of late. This is a much stronger field than those at the South African and Joburg Open but he is on the way back. Fellow Northern Ireland player Rory McIlroy will also create interest and Ross McGowan is a young player on the verge of big things.
Australia has Richard Green, Paul Sheehan and Scott Strange in the field in addition to Scott. Sheehan is playing this week on invite having finished joint runner up in his last European Tour event in New Zealand.
