DID YOU KNOW - ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
• The field for the 2014 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship boasts eight Major Champions, 79 European Tour winners and seven European Tour Number Ones. In addition there are 19 of the 2013 champions and four of the five winners from the 2014 European Tour Schedule competing. (Thomas Björn and Dawie Van der Walt have won in both seasons).
• Defending Jamie Donaldson will attempt to become the second player, following Martin Kaymer (2010-11) to make a successful defence of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. He would also become only the second Welshman, following Ian Woosnam to make a successful European Tour defence.
• Since winning in Abu Dhabi in 2013, Jamie Donaldson has claimed seven top ten finishes from his last 21 European Tour events.
• The Martin Kaymer has already won in Abu Dhabi in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Should he win for a fourth time, he would join an elite group of players to win the same official European Tour tournament four or more times. They are: Tiger Woods – eight wins (WGC –Bridgestone Invitational) and seven times (WGC – Cadillac Championship). Five times – Tom Watson (The Open Championship) and Bernhard Langer (German Open). Four times – Seve Ballesteros (Alstom Open de France), Sir Nick Faldo, (PGA Championship), Woods (US PGA Championship), Langer (German Masters), Mark McNulty (German Open) and Miguel Angel Jiménez (Hong Kong Open).
• Martin Kaymer has a wonderful record at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Apart from his three triumphs he was runner-up in 2009 and tied sixth in 2013. He made his debut in 2007 and has played a total of 24 rounds, with a stroke average of 68.54. From those 24 rounds he is a total of 83 under par with 20 of those rounds under par and 17 in the 60s.
• Another player who has an excellent record in this tournament is Rory McIlroy, who starts his 2014 European Tour campaign this week. Although he has yet to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, he has only finished lower than 11th once in six appearances.
• Phil Mickelson is making his second trip to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, following his tie for tied 37th in 2011. The American will be aiming to be the second player from the United States to claim the trophy, following Chris DiMarco won the inaugural event in 2006.
• In the 2012 event the par three 12th hole witnessed three-holes-one. They were by Sergio Garcia and José Manuel Lara (both round one) and Graeme McDowell (round four). This was only the third time in European Tour history that the same hole witnessed three or more hole-in-one in the same tournament. The first two were at the second hole (1991 Fujitsu Mediterranean Open), which had four aces and hole five at the 1990 PGA Championship, which saw three.
