Rory McIlroy is aiming to get the new season off to a dream start by finally securing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship trophy at the 11th time of asking.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club has been a happy hunting ground for the Northern Irishman, who has secured eight top five finishes in his ten trips to the tournament.
Four of those were runner-up finishes, and McIlroy is keen to go one better this week as the 2021 Race to Dubai campaign gets under way.
The four time Major Champion will face stiff competition for the crown, though, with a star studded field - featuring the likes of Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Justin Thomas - gathering in the United Arab Emirates for the season's first Rolex Series event.
"It's great to be out here and playing," said McIlroy. "It's a great way to start the year.
"It's a big event, we've got some great players here. Obviously JT (Justin Thomas) has made the trip over as well.
"The Ryder Cup points are starting again so a lot of guys will want to start well and get themselves off to a fast start in regards to that too.
"But yeah, I'm really excited to be back, it's a golf course I've done well at and played well on.
"I've done everything but win here. I'll try again for the 11th time and see if I can get the job done."
McIlroy has a long history of performing well whenever he tees it up at the first event of a calendar year, and he puts that down to having a clean slate.
He added: "I saw something the other day - of the 13 times I've played a first tournament of a season in my pro career I've had 11 top fives.
"The fact that there's no win in there is a little surprising, I guess.
"But I come out at the start of the year and, I don't think you're as fully sharp as you would want to be, but at least the optimism is there and the enthusiasm is there.
"There's not any scar tissue built up from previous tournaments that year. You feel like every year is a fresh start and I like that feeling.
"I have played well in the first tournament back, and hopefully I can do the same again this week."
