Matthew Fitzpatrick insists his game feels "ten times better" than this time last year as he prepares to play his first tournament of the 2017 season.
The Englishman has appeared at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship twice before, missing the cut in 2015 before finishing in a tie for 26th last year.
But Fitzpatrick, who won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in his last European Tour outing, feels good ahead of this week's event.
I've not played anything yet but my game feels ten times better than it was this time last year - Matthew Fitzpatrick
"The weather is perfect, the golf course is perfect. I'm just looking forward to getting going now.
"The first year (2015) I came off a top ten the week before, which was my best finish on the European Tour, even though I had not played that many tournaments.
"So I think that was a big deal. It probably took a lot out of me. I missed the cut by one that year.
"Last year, I was playing pretty poorly at the start of the year. I think I was very happy with the tied 26th.
"This year I feel is completely different. I've not played anything yet but my game feels ten times better than it was this time last year and much more comfortable on this golf course.
"I'm looking forward to playing tomorrow, really."
Fitzpatrick's one-shot victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November was the biggest of his career so far and the 22 year old said it gave him a confidence boost.
He added: "It certainly gave me more confidence in knowing that I could compete at the highest level, particularly with the field they had that week. It was nice obviously to come out on top."
