Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: Five things to know

Five things to know as the new European Tour season begins at the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

The start of a new season

The European Tour season gets underway this week with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, one of four premium Rolex Series events which underpin the 2021 season.

Held over Abu Dhabi GC, the tournament has the distinction of being the first Rolex Series event for the third consecutive season, after being elevated to Rolex Series status in 2019.

Westwood defends

Lee Westwood began 2020 by making history in the Middle East with the 25th Tour victory of his career in Abu Dhabi, and ended it by winning the season-ending Race to Dubai in December - 20 years after being crowned European Number One for the first time.

The Englishman now returns to the Middle East to defend his title in Abu Dhabi, while making his 10th appearance in a tournament where he has a range of success, including a runner-up finish in 2008 and a tie for eighth in 2017.

Speaking ahead of the event, Westwood admitted the UAE is somewhere he feels comfortable, and he is looking to restart this year's season in a similar fashion.

"I've always played pretty well in the in this part of the world," he said. "And, you know, my two best results for the last year were Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the very beginning to the very end of the year. So I'll be hoping for that again this year. You know, sort of fast here in these first three tournaments and then see where I was at the end of the year again when we get back in."

European points race restarts in Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship marks the restart of the European Points List for players targeting qualification at this year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin

There will be a big majority of players hoping for a fast start, with the chance to earn points on the European Points List for the first time since the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March 2020.

As per the revised qualification criteria, all points earned on both the European and World Points list will be multiplied by 1.5 until May 9. All points earned from May 12 to September 12 will be multiplied by two.

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A star studded field

The first event of the new season is headlined by a star-studded field, which includes defending champion and reigning European Number One Lee Westwood, who is aiming to emulate Tommy Fleetwood (2017, 2018) in lifting the trophy in back to back seasons.

Martin Kaymer (2008, 2010, 2011) is the only three-time winner of the event, and he is one of nine Major winners in the field, alongside Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett and European Ryder Cup Captain Pádraig Harrington.

Joining them are the likes of World Number Nine Tyrrell Hatton, DP World Tour Championship winner Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who closed out the end of 2019 with back to back victories in South Africa before a top 15 in Dubai.

European Tour Fantasy Race to Dubai begins

The European Tour’s Fantasy Race to Dubai game is making a return for the 2021 season.

With the game officially starting on the 21st January with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, users are now able to sign up for the the 2021 Fantasy Race to Dubai.

Players can create their own six-man team and compete in Private Leagues, Weekly Top 10 Challenges and Head to Head competitions, with prizes given out weekly and across the season.

Each player has unlimited team changes right up until the deadline on 21 January, so pick your team now and get all of your friends joined up to your Private League!

Sign up here: Et.golf/fr2d