2015 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship - Preview

World No 1 Rory McIlroy is facing an especially strong field this week as he heads into his opening tournament of 2015, the HSBC Golf Championship.

Some of the world’s highest ranked golfers, among them Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, the World No 2, England’s Justin Rose ( No 5), and US star Rickie Fowler (No 10) are in the field along with other outstanding contenders of the calibre of Germany’s three-time Abu Dhabi winner Martin Kaymer,  fellow major winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and this year’s defending champion, Jamie Donaldson of Wales.

And that’s not all. Also teeing off at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Thursday in this formidable group pursuing a US $2.7 million prize fund., are other 2014 Ryder Cup heroes  such as   Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, Dane Thomas Bjorn,  Scot Stephen Gallacher and Belgium’s big bomber, Nicolas Colsaerts, as well classy Ryder Cup winners of previous years, like Englishman David Howell, Swede Robert Karlson and Italian Eduardo Molinari.

As is the case in the US right now, the future of the European Tour has never looked brighter when you look at the flood of new talent coming into the game. In short it’s dangerous, these days, to dismiss the chances of  young men like Italy’s TCA Abu Dhabi ambassador, Matteo Manassero, a record-breaking four-time winner by the age of 20, Frenchman Alexander Levy, Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, Englishmen Eddie Pepperell, Tommy Fleetwood and Oliver Fisher and American Peter Uihlein.

Each is capable of winning titles this year and it all begs the question: Will McIlroy allows himself to be intimidated by this impressive array of serious opposition?
My answer – and almost everybody else’s, surely, must be “Not likely”. 
Not in his current frame of mind, coming off, as he has, a spectacular 2014 in which he won both of the season’s last two majors, The British Open and the PGA Championship, as well as the highly-coveted WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

His confidence, blunted for a while back in 2013 when he was battling to come to terms with his new Nike clubs and too often took his eye off the ball to involve himself in his then girlfriend’s tennis career, is once again sky high and his unmatchable swing skills are undiminished.

It is certainly no wonder then that the bookies have hiked him up to the top of their betting lists as their strong favourite at 4/1 with his nearest opposition, Rose at 10/1, Stenson at 11/1, Fowler at 14/1 and Kaymer at 16/1 being well back.

And the fact that the Abu Dhabi course has been toughened up for this 10th anniversary event by a series of course enhancements that involved tightening the fairways, adding bunkers, strengthening the rough and bringing more water into play is only likely to improve the chances of McIlroy and the most highly ranked of his opponents.

As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going – in any kind of weather, which, in this case, should not trouble anyone unduly.

According to our Golf Weather boffins, the course is likely to stay dry for the duration of the tournament with light morning breezes from the north and north-west getting up from as little as 3km/h in the early morning into the low-20s in mid-afternoon of each day.

LEADING ODDS (at noon on Tuesday)

Rory McIlroy (NIr) 4/1
Justin Rose  ( Eng) 10/1
Henrik Stenson(Swe)  11/1
Rickie Fowler (USA) 14/1
Martin Kaymer (Ger) 16/1’
Jamie Donaldson(Wal)  25/1
Danny Willett   (Eng) 28/1
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 33/1
Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 33/1
Thorbojn Olesen (Den) 33/1
Branden Grace (RSA) 40/1
Alexander Levy (Fra) 45/1

For any feedback or ideas you are welcome to email: neville@golfweather.com