European Tour: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship power rankings

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: Martin Kaymer of Germany with the winners trophy after the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 23, 2011 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) /

Had Martin Kaymer been in a slump coming into this event, even his three Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship titles wouldn’t have been enough to squeeze him into the top 10 this week.

Alas, Kaymer was solid in the Race to Dubai Final Series and has taken time off to retool his game since November. He couldn’t have handpicked a better place to begin his 2018 season.

The German won here in 2008, 2010 and 2011 with a combined 60-under-par total in the three victories. His resume also boasts a solo third in 2007, shared runner up in 2009, a T6 in 2013, third in 2015 and another top-20. He’s missed the cut once in 11 starts.

Kaymer is known as an up-and-down player, but this event seems to recalibrate him, even if it’s short-lived.

Abu Dhabi GC measures long at 7,583 yards, but it’s not an overly difficult track if you can drive it reasonably straight. Distance doesn’t hurt, either, and Kaymer is above average in both categories. He finished 2017 68th in driving distance (295.1 yards) and 12th in driving accuracy (66.7 percent).

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