The DP World Tour remains in Abu Dhabi for the second of a four-week swing in the Middle East as Thomas Pieters defends his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title in the first Rolex Series event of 2023. Here are your five things to know.
New father Pieters defends
Thomas Pieters made his return to competitive golf for the first time in three months at last week’s Hero Cup following the birth of his second child in November. The Belgian delivered 1.5 points over the three-day match play contest as Continental Europe beat Great Britain & Ireland at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The World Number 38 will now look to make a strong defence of his maiden Rolex Series title claimed last year at Yas Links. During a week where players were tested by windy conditions, Pieters shot a gutsy level-par 72 in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of Rafa Cabrera Bello and Shubhankar Sharma. The victory was his sixth on the DP World Tour and lifted him back into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Five further top tens last year, including a runner-up at the BMW International Open, helped Pieters finish tenth on the season-long Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. Tommy Fleetwood was the last person to successfully retain his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title in 2018 – could Pieters emulate his European compatriot this week?
The Rolex Series is back
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is one of the highlights on the DP World Tour schedule and was first staged in 2006, when American Chris DiMarco lifted the trophy. The tournament is now in its fifth edition as a Rolex Series event and boasts a strong field as Yas Links plays host for the second year running. England’s Tyrrell Hatton, champion of this event in 2021, has the chance to move level with Jon Rahm by winning a fifth Rolex Series title this week after the Spaniard made history by becoming the first to do so at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in November.
Last month, the DP World Tour confirmed all Rolex Series events will have a total prize fund of US$9million – an increase of $1million from the 2022 prize fund. As was the case last year, there are five Rolex Series events on the 2023 DP World Tour schedule with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic taking place next week at Emirates Golf Club.
Ryder Cup Captain and hopefuls gather after Hero Cup
Following a successful inaugural staging of the Hero Cup, the DP World Tour remains in Abu Dhabi as 19 of the 20 players that featured in the new team competition tee it up again. Séamus Power, Sepp Straka and Richard Mansell are making their first appearance at this week’s tournament, with all three harbouring ambitions of making their debut for Europe at the Ryder Cup later this year.
Joining them and the rest of the field is former World Number One Luke Donald, who will captain Europe at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in September. Donald is making his first appearance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship since 2014 and will be hoping he can build on his most recent appearance on the DP World Tour when he finished tied 13th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November. Also, in action this week from the European setup are Donald’s Ryder Cup Vice Captains Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjørn and Nicolas Colsaerts.
Early-season winners looking to maintain momentum
This week will see the seventh individual winner of the 2023 season crowned, with five of the previous six in the field. Dan Bradbury enjoyed a fairy-tale success at the Joburg Open as he won in just his third DP World Tour start having entered the week sitting in 1,397th position in the Official World Golf Ranking, while Ockie Strydom was also a first-time winner at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Reigning Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Thriston Lawrence continued his meteoric rise with a third win in 12 months at the Investec South African Open Championship and he enters the week atop the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. Add in ISPS HANDA Australian Open winner Adrian Meronk and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open champion Antoine Rozner fresh from playing their part in Continental Europe winning the Hero Cup, and those on the 2023 roll of honour look in a strong position to challenge this week.
Ready for 2023 @DPWorldTour @ADGolfChamps @YasLinksGC pic.twitter.com/3M9zjjUW0C
— Dan Bradbury (@DanJBradbury) January 17, 2023
Sustainability at the forefront on Yas Island
The Green Drive goes into overdrive this week with a host of sustainability efforts taking place across the event. Conor Syme and Wil Besseling will be carrying out a beach clean on Wednesday and to try and make sure there is nothing for anybody to drop on the beach, there will be no plastic bottles on site at Yas Links, with 70% of waste diverted from landfill.
For power, there will be over 500sqm of solar panels on site saving over 3,500 litres of fuel, while all generators will be powered by biofuel or using an additive, reducing emissions by up to 90% in comparison to diesel. Biofuel will also be created from used cooking oils and all food waste will be composted. There is also an emphasis placed on the Golf Futures programme, with pupils at West Yas School getting to create their own event and pitch it to HSBC when they are given a behind-the-scenes tour of Yas Links.
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