Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Power Rankings
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship promises a titanic battle between Spieth and McIlroy with an exciting supporting cast of close contenders.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship has all the makings of high golf drama. The field is packed with champions and near-champions. Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will kick off what’s certain to become a year-long battle for the top of the OWGR, and there’s a baker’s dozen of challengers and contenders poised and prepared to slip through any crack in the armor of golf two young Titians.
Read more about how the Spieth-McIlroy rivalry is likely to unfold over 2016
The Abu Dhabi Golf Club track, a veritable oasis of palm groves and shrubbery carved out of the desert, with lush fairways and seven saltwater lakes to negotiate, is an ideal setting for the beginning of Spieth v McIlroy battle.
It’s a long par-72 Championship course – 7334 yards – and will provide tests of almost every aspect of the players’ games. Follow this link to take a virtual tour of the course.
But Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are not the only golfers in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
In this talent-packed field, highlighting the top 10 contenders is no easy task, but let’s take a look at who’s coming in hot and who’s likely to play well on the monster Abu Dhabi track, beginning with the only amateur in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship field, Bryson Dechambeau.
Read more about Bryson DeChambeau’s path to a pro career
What about Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer? Or Chris Wood and Branden Grace? I look for them to be lurking just outside the top-10, waiting and ready to take advantage of any opportunity that opens up, but I don’t see them likely to dominate play this week in a top-heavy field of young talent.
Next: CareerBuilder Challenge Power Rankings
Golf Channel coverage of Abu Dhabi begins Thursday, January 21 (local time) although you may lose sleep time if you want to watch it live. Follow ProGolfNow on Twitter @ProGolfNow and like our Facebook page to get up-to-date commentary on Abu Dhabi, the CareerBuilder Challenge, and all things golf this week.