We take a close look at the DP World Tour's newest venue.
The DP World Tour kicks off 2022 with a first ever visit to Yas Links for the opening Rolex Series event of the season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club had played host to the Desert Swing event since its debut in 2006 but it now makes the short move north east to the Kyle Phillips layout opened in 2010.
The par 72, which took three years to construct, is playing 7,425 yards this week and can extend to 7,450 yards.
It lies across the highway from the Yas Marina Circuit, which plays host to Formula One's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with eight of the holes – including three of the four shortest holes on the card (8, 13 & 17) - running along the coastline.
We caught up with the golf course manager Corey Finn, who gave us the lowdown on the layout and discussed preparations for the event.
Corey, how pleased are you with the work you’ve done here in order to get it in this condition ready for the tournament?
Very pleased. I’m super proud of my team and the way they came together since we got confirmation of the tournament taking place here back in October. To pull this together and produce what we have, we’re very proud.
How much work has gone in to get it prepared?
I couldn’t quantify it. A lot of blood, sweat and tears. It’s been a grind for sure.
What have you had to do to the course in order to prepare it for a Rolex Series event?
We needed to bring it up to tournament standard. A lot of work went in to get the greens firm, a lot of work also in the bunkers to bring them up to the standard that is required, and then just fine tuning it in the main play areas so that they play as a true links should.
What have been the biggest challenges along the way?
The biggest challenge was the short notice of the tournament taking place here. We didn’t have a 12-month build-up or anything like that. There was a lot of extra work needed to bring it up to the top-50 standard that Yas Links is currently ranked in.
When the tournament was agreed to be played here, how did you find out and what’s the process to find out the requirements?
Once you get signed off, everyone gets very excited. We find out through the powers that be that the tournament's been signed off. We get great support from the DP World Tour and the head agronomist. We have great support from Troon and there’s people to bounce things off of to ensure we meet the required standard and how to produce what we’ve produced for this week.
Is this the first time you’ve overseen a team to set up a DP World Tour event?
This is the first time as a super intendant, and obviously the guy who has to do the media like this interview. But I’ve been up in Doha for the DP World Tour as an assistant from 2012-2016. I’ve also done a lot of tournaments around the world as a general greenkeeper.
The fact this is one of the biggest events of the season, a Rolex Series event, it must create a special feeling among the team?
For sure. This is one of the biggest events in the world, but for a Major I guess. The team have really jumped on board, they’ve got behind myself and they are the real stars of this show to be honest with you.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I just love the game of golf. I love both greenkeeping and playing, it’s an art. My favourite thing is tournament golf, I set myself a goal to become super intendant and get to work on these sort of events. This is what we all do this job for.
Are there any details on the course that people at home on TV may not notice but you’re really proud of?
I can’t give away too many of the trade secrets, but the main detail is the bunkers in a course like this. The shapes, the funky Kyle Phillips designs. A lot of work goes into them. It’s getting them to look so sharp as it's very visual to the eye.
What work has gone into the greens to get them in the condition that they are?
Not a great deal different to day-to-day detail. Much more work goes into them leading up to the tournament with more rolling, extra cuts and getting them as firm as they are. We want it to be a links golf course.
When you see all the stands and branding, how do you think it now looks?
It looks amazing. The branding brings it to life, doesn’t it? It’s pretty cool.
What makes Yas Links a great design and test for the golfers this week?
It starts at the main gate with the statue of Old Tom Morris - the founder of the professional greenkeepers. We are trying to stick with the design intentions which is the intention of the game and the original Kyle Phillips design. It’s a traditional links. So if it doesn’t blow like it does in Scotland, players will go quite low but, if it shows its teeth with the wind, then the guys will struggle. I think that’s pretty cool. If you get it on the wrong side it’ll run away and you’ll be in troublesome areas.
When the wind blows, how does it change the course?
The wind in practice this week is the opposite to how it’ll play when the tournament starts. So the holes the players found easy in practice will play the hardest over the weekend. Once the wind picks up, the finishing holes are pretty tough.
What do you think it is about Yas Links that makes it a challenging test for the world's best?
The shapes and slopes of the Kyle Phillips design, along with the firmness of the greens we are looking for, will make the course play tough. The run-offs will become a challenge. The greens will become bouncy and balls will feed away from the hole.
Yas Links is not the only Kyle Phillips-designed course on the DP World Tour schedule, with regular stop Kingsbarns playing host to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
And while the Arabian Peninsula may be a long way from the Scottish coast, many of the world's best are ready for a familiar test this week.
The players
Rory McIlroy
I think the golf course is unbelievable shape, it's in great condition. The fairways are immaculate, the greens are perfect. Visually there's some holes that they are a little intimidating off the tee, just because you see there's a little bit of trouble here and there but once you get up there, there's plenty of room to hit it. It's a Kyle Phillips, so he designed Kingsbarns - like big, big, undulating greens. I didn't remember how big and how severe some of the greens were here.
Ian Poulter
We have some high winds forecasted on Friday, so hopefully it's not too strong that it takes us off the golf course because it will be a severe test in that wind. But it's a clever golf course, the way it wraps around, the two nines. You've got some great, cool pin positions, you can have right on the edge of the water. It's going to be good viewing for everyone back home to watch and obviously it will be fun for us to play.
Collin Morikawa
It's a very good golf course. Coming from Kapalua where the fairways are about a hundred yards wide, this looks pretty narrow. I think the conditions are going to prove tough. We're going to have a lot of wind this week, a lot of different winds from what we are seeing on Monday and Tuesday compared to what the tournament is going to be. A lot of slopes in these greens, a lot of undulations and a lot of run-offs.
Tommy Fleetwood
The wind obviously plays a massive part, so that's going to play very much like a links. Ball flight control, I think there are run-offs. I think you can putt from around the green, so I guess that's very links-style. There's plenty of elements that are very linksy.
Shane Lowry
It's obviously along the coast here and it's going to be quite windy, links-style. It's fairly tricky around the greens and so it's going to require a lot of good iron play and decent with the short game if you miss the greens.
Viktor Hovland
Obviously there's some wind forecasted around this place. I think it's a good test tee-to-green. The fairways are reasonably wide. But if you get a few crosswinds here and there, you really have to know where the ball is going off the tee. You have to sometimes hold the ball up against the wind or be able to be comfortable working it both ways. If you're far off-line, there's some pretty thick stuff. The greens are very interesting. There's a lot of slope but, again, there's not that many flat spots on the green. I'll be interested to see where they put the pins and if it starts blowing a lot then it could be a really good test.
