Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2019: Power Rankings

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 21: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 21, 2018 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /

Just like Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson were together during a pre-tournament photo shoot, the two are side by side in my rankings.

DJ is making just his third Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship start this week, but has made more money at this event than guys who’ve come here since 2006. And that’s just what he gets paid for his performance on the course.

Johnson finished runner-up in 2017 and was just one shot out of a playoff. He was the only player inside the top 11 to shoot in the 70s on Thursday, let alone a 72, but he went to work closing with 68-64-68. He led the field in driving distance (322.6 yards) and was in the top 10 in putting.

Johnson again started slow with a 72 last year only to fight back with 64-68-70 to claim another top-ten finish, tying for ninth. He was third in the field in distance but was inaccurate off the tee (48th in fairways) and wasn’t elite with the rest of his bag to climb higher.

Like Koepka, Johnson may have an advantage on the field in that he’s already teed it up in 2019. Johnson finished T4 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

He also played at the Hero World Challenge where he took seventh. Johnson’s recorded 10 straight top-30s worldwide and hasn’t missed the cut at a non-major since The Memorial in May 2017.

While he hasn’t scrambled particularly well at this event, ranking third on the PGA Tour last season in strokes gained is encouraging. If it weren’t for the defending champ coming up next in the No. 1 slot, DJ would be my pick to win this week.

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