European Tour: Maybank Championship power rankings

Thorbjorn Olesen will make his Maybank Championship debut following a couple made cuts in the UAE. The big Dane tied for 53rd in Abu Dhabi and tied for 29th in Dubai.

Olesen sputtered last week on Sunday, but three opening rounds in the 60s are signs of encouragement.

He couldn’t win for the third season in a row in 2017, but Olesen’s proven to be a mainstay in the world top 100 and has the talent to compete anywhere if he’s sharp. Despite the winless campaign, the Danish star did post five top-ten finishes for the fifth time since 2012. Not exactly a slump by any reasonable standards.

Olesen was top-12 last week in putting, sand saves, driving accuracy and distance. If he can cut down on mistakes on his approach shots, his game is where it needs to be to post a high finish.

Travel and fatigue may be a slight concern, but Olesen should be able to push through that just fine. The last time Olesen played three weeks back to back came at last year’s Race to Dubai Final Series where he tied for 12th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.